Slytherin Traveler
by SlytherinGirl13
Summary: There were two more heirs of Slytherin, and one has the chance to change the past to make a more perfect future. Can she choose duty over friendship and what's right or will she fall to her cousins dark whims? I only own Lyra/Syrie/Adrianne/Kimmy/Zinnia
1. The Past and The Power

It was six and a half years after the death of James and Lily Potter, and the death of the Dark Lord. The lives of the De'Larsha family had changed drastically, especially for their two daughters. Syrieana and Lyra were the two newest of the Slytherin line, but it seemed that Lyra's magic was much more unstable than her sister's. The two girls were as different as day and night, one looking more like their father with her nearly white hair, but had their mother's violet eyes; Syrieana. The other had dark hair and light blue eyes, the young Lyra De'Larsha. Both were close, and a prophecy was made when they were born. They would change the world for better or worse. It didn't tell deeply, and was over much too soon.

The Ministry was on the hunt for the rest of the Death Eaters still, and their mother had been the last one with their distant cousin, unknown to many. It was only a matter of time before the woman was ratted out though, and the Ministry tracked her down.

**Lyra: Age 8**

Syrie had recently passed out in her bed, but Lyra couldn't sleep. She had this growing sense of dread as she got up and slipped over to her door. Glancing back at her twin, she smiled just a bit but opened the door to her room and slipped out, closing the door as quietly as possible. Smoothing out her emerald green nightgown, she touched the locket around her neck gently with a slight smile. It was one of Slytherin's from long ago, and her mother had given her the locket. It always comforted her, but tonight it couldn't chase away the sense that something dreadful was going to happen this night.

Walking down the stairs with practiced silent steps, he could hear both of his parents whispering to each other, unable to make out any of the noise. They sounded upset, and very worried about something. Quietly she slid along the wall, listening carefully and silently.

"It was only a matter of time Eileen. Did you think we'd get away scott free," her father asked sharply. Ciaran was never a soft spoken male, true to his pureblooded nature. His voice, laced with that Irish accent, sounded tired, worried….and a tad scared.

A slightly more dominant female voice spoke then, Irish lacing her words as well. "I thought we would! The Malfoys did, Ciaran. And you're getting away fine….it's only me that they suspect. Just me. How? Why? They couldn't have found my blood line, they couldn't have…" she said near panic now. Eileen was a rather strong woman, and perhaps an older version of her daughter, except for the eyes.

As her father was about to say something, there was a knocking on the door. It made Lyra's eyes widen as she backed up into the shadows so she wouldn't be seen by whoever got the door. Like she should have guessed, it was her mother who got up and went to the door. Her mother who took a deep breath and ended up glancing back at her daughter, pressing one finger to her lips in a "shhh" gesture to her daughter.

Once the older woman had composed herself, she opened the door only to be met by the faces of three Aurors from the Ministry of Magic. Each of them had a serious expression on their face, and Alastor Moody was one of the ones there. He was almost whole, but the way he looked at her mother made Lyra want to squirm in distaste as she tried not to be seen. It wasn't that difficult, all of them were focused on her mother, and it made her want to scream.

"Eileen De'Larsha?" Alastor Moody asked, his arms crossed over his chest, ready to reach for his wand if the need arose. The male was always prepared for the worst, and ready to dive into a fight with a Death Eater at any given opportunity.

"Yes? May I help you?" Eileen inquired, tilting her head some before she glanced towards the stairs then looked back at the Aurors with a slight smile. "…Whatever it is, can you keep it down? My two angels are sleeping." She whispered, even though Lyra was just out of view of them, keeping her breathing as calm as possible. The young girl was terrified.

Alastor stepped in, followed by an Auror after him, his eyes focused on the woman, his voice calm, almost cold though. "Is it true that you are a distant relation of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" With just that question to start, it seemed like they were only doing brief investigations now.

Relaxing a bit, Eileen nodded her head. "Yes….my Great Great Grandfather is his Uncle. Why do you ask?" A smile curved her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest casually, seeming more relaxed than she had a moment ago.

"We were told by a Death Eater that you were there the night of the death of Lily and James Potter, and that you were closely tied to this distant cousin. Due to your Death Eater activities, you have been sentenced to be held in Azkaban until a trial can be set, and you can be judged by the Wizemgot." He said coldly, a bit of a smile on his lips.

As soon as Lyra heard those words, she rushed forward and in front of her mom, leaning back against her to hold her legs. Looking up at the man, her lower lip trembled, her icy blue eyes filled with sadness. "No! My Mama didn't do anything bad. Mama has been good to me…..don't take her away!" She yelled at them, close to tears, clinging back against her mother as she looked around, as if she were going to try and push her mother out of the way.

The older woman lightly stroked at her daughter's hair and shook her head, looking towards the living room. "….Ciaran….Come get our daughter please…..I don't want her to see this." She said softly, then leaned down and kissed her daughter's cheek. "It's okay, sweet heart. Mama will be back in no time, alright?" At her words she glanced up at Alastor, pleading at the man with her eyes to not tell her daughter otherwise, for the sake of the well being of her daughter.

Watching, Alastor could only nod, along with the other two Aurors. Hearing footsteps though, Lyra clung more fiercely to her mother, shaking her head violently. "No, no, no, no! You can't go away. You can't! You told me about that bad place, you said bad people go there, and it's sad and cold. You can't be sad and cold, Mama!" The young girl's voice was almost heartbroken as her eyes narrowed up at the Aurors, voice colder than her mother's could ever get. "If you wanna take her you'll have to make me move!"

The Aurors exchanged looks, as if they weren't sure how to deal with a child clinging to their mother, and Alastor tried to move around the girl. Lyra shook her head several times, clinging to her mother as if she'd disappear if she let her go. "No!" She screamed at them, sending out a wave of raw magic that hit them all head on.

In a reflexive action, Alastor shot a spell at the young girl, sending her back against her mother with a cry of pain. Ciaran rushed out and scooped up his daughter, trying to hide her face in his shoulder as she squirmed, trying to reach for her mother again. Eileen had not taken well to her daughter being hit by a spell for nothing more than her magic having no outlet.

As any mother would, Eileen pulled her wand and started yelling curses at the three Aurors, darting out of her house so it wouldn't be damaged. Lyra tried to squirm out of her father's grip, and he dropped her, causing her to roll and push herself back up. As she ran out the door, she heard her mother scream and then wailed herself. Watching as the body of her mother fell to the ground, she ran over, clinging to her mother's hand.

Feeling for a pulse, the young girl started crying as she didn't find one, bowing her head as tears rolled down her face. "Mama!" she shook her head, then lifted it, looking right at Alastor, her voice cold and accusing. "Murderer! You murderer!" she wailed as her father came out and picked her up, trying not to cry in front of his daughter as he pulled her back.

"….There's nothing we can do, Lyra…..nothing…." he whispered, stroking at his daughter's hair as she glared at Alastor, such hatred int hose young eyes, and he just looked distant…..as if he didn't care at all.

Author's Note: I'm skipping to the summer of third year, and you'll find out more about her magic then.


	2. Ch1 Third Year An Heir and Time

Lyra was getting off the train to go to Hogwarts, some of her books clutched in her arms as she glanced over her shoulder. Looking at her twin she smiled a bit, and walked towards the carriages. It was her third year here at Hogwarts, and she knew that it was going to be different, rather different. It was just a feeling, and she'd learned to trust her gut, even when last year she wasn't sure if she was being manipulated to let the basilisk attack muggles borns. Now though, she had grown into a bit of her natural beauty, just as her twin had, and two boys were following after the two. The young Slytherin girl didn't mind too much, and she just wanted to relax a bit more.

Odd things had been happening all summer, dreams about the past that almost felt like she was there. Never did she leave her room, but she wasn't sure how volatile her magic was. Since the day her mother was killed, her magic had always been that volatile. Getting into the carriage silently, her icy cold blue eyes glanced around, even as Blaise sat beside her and started rubbing at her hand with a light smile. It was the anniversary of her mother's death, and he knew how touchy she could get. Out of her friends, Blaise understood why she was so calculating and cold all the time. Him and Kimmy oddly enough. Adrianna and Syrie just thought she needed to move on and start being more active in Hogwarts. Well. She'd taken over position as Slytherin Seeker, wasn't that enough?

The Thestrals that pulled the carriages had ceased to frighten her, and she knew that the Potter boy as well as the Lovegood child could see them. That was lovely. She was just as freaky as they were, and just as bookish as that dumb Hermione Granger. Why her distant cousin's memory could not have gotten to her last year she'd never know, though it seemed he had tried. Maybe he knew how stupid Potter could be without her.

Regardless, she rode with her friends in silence up to the castle, tapping her quill against her lips, before she started scribbling rapidly on a piece of parchment. Syrie sighed and nudged her sister a bit with a grin.

"Lyra, what do you think this year is going to have in store? Think Potter might actually die this year?" The girl giggled, causing the others in the carriage to laugh as Lyra glanced up with her cold gaze. As usual, many fell silent at that gaze, and she slowly smirked. At the very least, she looked fierce and none of her Housemates ever forgot that about her. To forget that about a De'Larsha, about an Heir of Slytherin House, was foolish. It could lead to someone's death if they weren't careful.

"We can only but hope," she muttered in her Irish accented voice, then shrugged before looking back to her piece of parchment. There was so much going on in her head she couldn't help but feel jumpy. First there were Dementors on the train, and now a one Remus J. Lupin was going to be their teacher. Great. New teachers were always so funny! Not.

Getting out of the carriages, she filed into the Great Hall with everyone else, keeping her arms linked with Kimmy and Blaise. Sitting between the two, she sighed as she settled down and sipped at a glass that was filled with pumpkin juice. The Sorting Ceremony seemed to take longer and longer each year, and it pissed her off to no end. All of his house unity bull was something she wanted to shove back down the old wizard's throat. Glaring over at Potter, she almost trembled. If he hadn't killed her cousin, her mother would still be alive and well. That's what she always told herself.

Before she knew it though, the feast was in commission, and she only ate enough to get by, and then slipped out of the Great Hall ahead of the prefects. Knowing she'd be roomed with Kimmy, and her sister and cousin again she quickly started to descend to the dungeons. Before she could get there though, someone grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Drawing her wand she had it at her God father's throat before she lowered it and flung herself at him, hugging him tightly.

"…The Dementors didn't affect you too badly…...did they Lyra?" Snape asked, concern lacing through his voice as he stroked at the young girl's hair. He'd been named God father at her birth, and he was intensely protective over the De'Larsha clan. Especially Lyra, he didn't know why….but he felt like there was something about this "niece" that he had to pay attention about.

Shaking her head, she smiled up at him and shrugged. "…I'm fine Uncle Sev, just a little out of it." She muttered with a sigh, tugging at a strand of dark hair before she grabbed his hand and smiled. "Walk me down to the Dormitories?" She asked cutely, causing him to chuckle as he nodded, walking along with her, his arm going around her shoulders to help guide the young girl with a sigh.

"I saw you glaring at Potter again, Lyra…..you have to be careful about that. You can't let others know that you hate him like that, or they may tie you to the Dark Lord," he murmured to her quietly, glancing around at the last few portraits as they made their way down into the dungeons. The last thing he wanted was for more people to start suspecting his God daughters; it was bad enough they were accused of doing all of that stuff last year with the Chamber of Secrets nonsense.

The young girl sighed as she leaned into her Godfather and simply nodded her head as they continued to walk. Just this companionable silence like this made her feel calmer than she did around the kids in her house these days. She'd read about some of the kids that were in the class her mother had been in, that Potter's parents had been in. That was the kind of years that would have kept her full of energy and devious plans to sneak off campus. It was things like that that made her like hanging around the Weasley twins. They kept her curious, and they had caught her attention about the Marauders' Era with that damn map.

Before she could muse on it too much, she reached the door to the dungeons with her Godfather, right near her entrance into the common room. Looking up at Severus, she smiled, and then hugged him, her voice soft. "…Thank you again, for just….looking out for me Uncle Sev, no clue what I'd do if you didn't." She muttered softly, before she let go of him and said the password to the door, before she slipped through.

As always, the room was clean, spotless, as she walked in to the familiar room with the green tint to the lighting even. Looking around she let out a very soft hiss, causing her pet snake to slowly slither from the shadows and over to her. It was a white viper, the complete opposite of her and more like her twin's coloration. The snake twined around her arm, the head of the creature resting in the palm of her hand. Stroking at its tiny head, she looked around the room with a very light smirk. Oh, this year would be amazing if she had her way. Of course, if she had her way a lot of things would be different about this place.

Glancing at the clock she knew it would be about another twenty minutes before they let the new first years out of the Great Hall with everyone else. Humming an old Irish song to herself, she walked up the stairs to the girl dormitories, her feet making only a slight noise on the ground. She could be as stealthy as a snake if she wished it, and right now she didn't. This was just how she walked. Looking at the wall, she read the room assignments quickly. As she had thought, it was herself, her twin, Kimmy, and then their little lackey, Parkinson. Well, she could have done without the annoying little Parkinson girl, but at least now she could keep the female away from Draco as she normally did. Looking at her snake she stroked her head, and kissed the scales gently.

"Oh, this will be amazing won't it Solaria? I just feel…..energized, like something amazing is going to happen this year…." She whispered to her snake in English, and then quickly switched to Parseltongue so the snake could simply nod its head in understanding. That snake was one of the only creatures that ever understood her, and she was oddly happy about that.

Going down the hall to their shared room, she opened the door with her other hand, and glanced around. As usual, it was all in emerald green, and her cage for her snake was at the bed closest to the door. Good. She wouldn't have to fight those idiots to get out of the room. That was how she preferred things, with her able to do what she wished to. It was almost something that she needed.

Setting her snake down she cooed at the creature before she went over to her bed and looked at the note that was on the pillow from her father. That was odd, normally he didn't leave things for her at her dorm, and it was a shock to see that here now. Picking it up, she read it with a slight smile, it reading:

_Dearest Lyra,_

_I know your mother would have wanted you to have this necklace, and it is now my honor to give it to you during your third year at Hogwarts. This locket is one of two that belonged to your ancestor, and she only wanted you to have it. I expect you to take good care of it, sweet heart and to make the choices that would have made your mother, as well as myself, very proud of you. With all my love._

_Dad_

With a soft smile, the young girl opened the box that was next to the note, and pulled out a silver locket. Putting the locket around her neck, she clasped it closed, and smoothed it over the front of her shirt. Holding it up to the light, she saw the S that was carved into the silver, the S looking like a snake, Salazar Slytherin's necklace. It was either his ring, or his child's. Either way, it made her glow with pride that she had it around her neck now. Truly she adored her lineage, and the fact she could say she was still a pureblood unlike her notorious cousin was a miracle in itself. Turning to look in the mirror, she stroked her fingers over the silver there, chuckling to herself.

Brushing her fingers through her black hair, she could see just a few of the traits that seemed to stay with heirs of Slytherin, like the dark hair and the fair skin. No matter how much sun they saw, their skin stayed this light pale. One myth she had heard of was that their skin stayed pale so in case they needed to fade to their scales they could. True, that was one of the funniest little myths she had ever heard, but the person behind it had to be at least a little bit original. It wasn't everyday that the Heirs of Slytherin had a myth about them and their blood line made up that wasn't true. A sigh left her lips and she shook her head before she went to her trunk and grabbed her notebook, plus a quill and an ink well. It was about time she got back to writing in her journal now that she was back home.

Taking the stairs down two at a time, she hummed to herself before she glanced around the common room. All the time she was careful not to let people see that light and slightly care free version of herself. To everyone outside of her family, she was the fierce Lyra Seraphina De'Larsha, a force to be reckoned with. But….she wasn't sure. Part of her felt like something wasn't right, especially not around here. Just….it felt like something was lingering around and watching her wherever she went, and she knew it wasn't her mother. This presence was more….cold.

Sitting down on her favorite couch in the common room, she sat down the ink well and flipped open the diary to the nearest empty page. As she dipped her quill into the ink, she started to write in simply swept letters about all the dreams she'd been having that summer, the bizarre dreams about the past. All of them were strong in her mind, and she could see the faces of everyone in them clearly. Chewing on her bottom lip, she wasn't sure exactly how to phrase a bit of it. It was almost as if something or someone had wanted her to see everything that was happening, everything that would happen. The scary thing was that that wrong feeling was back in her veins.

Putting down the quill she stood up, and started to walk towards the stairs before she felt like she was tugged. Stumbling she caught herself on the ground with her hand, heading spinning. Closing her eyes she let out a soft groan of pain before she pushed herself up off the ground, brushing herself off. Looking around, she saw several people sitting around, acting as if they hadn't seen her fall at all. The better question though, where the hell had they all come from? As she thought on that, someone bumped into her, causing her to hiss in anger, her eyes focusing on the male. The young man had black greasy looking hair, flowing robes….and looked almost sickly pale.

"Watch it." Lyra said sharply in her Irish accent, her arms crossing over her chest. "Who the bloody hell do you think you are?" She asked, eyes narrowed at him.

"I think, I'm Severus Snape, and you need to watch your mouth." He said snidly as he looked up at the teenage girl. Taking in her appearance, he noted how much she looked like Eileen De'Larsha, and shook his head as he walked by, muttering to himself about family ties.

Shock flowed through Lyra, and she shook her head, going to walk up the stairs before time seized her again and threw her back into her own time period. Almost falling to the floor, she was caught by someone behind her with a larger frame. Leaning back against the solid touch of a body, she rubbed at her temples, grumbling under her breath about how much her head hurt, before she heard her Godfather's sharp intake of breath.

"….I remember you…..in my past, Lyra…What have you done?" He asked, shock lacing his own voice as he stared down at his eldest God Daughter, not sure exactly what to do.

"….I don't know, Uncle Sev….but I think we have a problem….," she whispered softly.


	3. Ch2 The Plan and the Cover

The next few days went without much of a hitch, but Lyra was avoiding her twin sister like the plague, and not meeting her God Father's gaze directly any longer. It was hard just to focus with the way her mind kept fading to the past, like Time was trying to drag her back to that era. Why though? What could she accomplish?

Walking through the halls during the second week of school in a haze, she bumped into Kimmy and almost swore, contenting herself with mumbling under her breath in Irish. It was the only fail proof way to have a conversation with just herself. Always it got her odd looks though. Whoever heard of an heir of Slytherin from Ireland? Well, apparently they'd been there for several years to avoid being found out by the English witches and wizards. Forcing her mind to focus on the present, she fidgeted in place, her books tucked under her arm.

"…Sorry Kimmy, I've been…..lost lately. Just in my thoughts, you know," she asked softly, the politeness actually something that should worry others more than her zoning. All of the De'Larsha girls were known for their zone outs, but only a small few were known to be polite at any given time, and it was clear in the look Kimmy gave her.

"Uh…it's fine. What is up with you lately, Ly? You aren't yourself….and you aren't even looking at your Godfather or spending time around Syrie anymore. Anything you want to talk about?" Kimmy asked, tilting her head some to study the young Slytherin. The two clicked back in first year, and had been friends ever since. Though they were part of a big unit, they had clicked the most. It was only natural that they should worry about each other.

With a shake of her head, the young Slytherin heir just smiled slightly at her friend. "…I can't…you wouldn't get it Kimmy….so-" she almost said before she was interrupted by her friend.

"What is with the sorry? Lyra….you aren't acting like you at all…..just don't get hurt or soft on us." The other Slytherin said with a sigh, and then continued down the hall, leaving Lyra behind to stand in the hall with a sigh.

Shaking her head, she chewed on her bottom lip as she continued on her path to Dumbledore's office. Snape had finally told him what had happened, and now she had to talk to him, and that wasn't a comforting thought. Tapping her fingers on her leg though, she went up the stair case, humming lightly to herself. It had been a crazy few days, and she knew what was to come. That slightly dizzy feeling before bed, after she woke up, and sometimes randomly when she was walking around was getting stronger. It was only a matter of time before she was tugged back into the past. It would be interesting that was for sure, and she was going to get some charms so her stuff would come with her and she wouldn't have to rely on someone else.

Stopping at the entrance to the Heads office, she bit her lip, and then sighed out a very slow breath, muttering the name of the candy that was the password to get up this month. Watching as the staircase started to move up, she trekked up the stairs nervously. The young Slytherin didn't know what to expect when she saw the old man that was their head of Hogwarts. True, he was an excellent mentor to many around the school, but she didn't know how to deal with people like him. They made her nervous.

Reaching the door she was about to knock before her Godfather opened up the door with a very slight smile and motioned for her to come inside. Looking up at him, she quickly hugged him before sweeping into the room with all the poise a Slytherin should have. Stopping in front of his desk she crossed her arms carefully over her chest, her voice cool and collected. "So….what should I do?" She asked simply, keeping her eyes on the old wizard in front of her.

"…Go with it. We haven't had a case like yours, 'Larsha. Not even your mother had a gift like this. To our knowledge….neither did your late cousin. You might have a choice in what could change the course of history Ms. De'Larsha. I even wrote a letter to give to the past me in case you get sent back there once again. Just remember…it would be unwise to become close to your mother's younger self if you see her." He said calmly, in that wise voice of his. Part of her wanted to claw him just for that, but she held back the animalistic urge.

"Of course not sir, I'm altering the time stream enough just getting thrown back in time. It'd be better not to ruin it even more by associated by people that will know me very well in the present….though that's kind of too late for Uncle Sev," She muttered with a soft laugh as she glanced over at her God father with a smile. The smile wasn't returned though, and he gave her a half serious stern look.

A sigh left her lips at the look and she took up the letter and tucked it into the pockets of her inner robe. Brushing over her wand, she relaxed a little bit, glad that she had that with her at all times. Looking back at Dumbledore though, she frowned just a bit. "…Wait….what's my story when I finally come back here," she asked nervously. There was so much she was unsure of, even with the research she had done on the Marauders Era, as she was calling it now from a group of her new favorite wizards oddly enough. It reminded her of the twins in a way.

"Well….you're doing something special for the Ministry on restoring information on Salazar and the other founders….it's something that could be believed by many. The only ones that may get suspicious are your cousin and your twin," The wise wizard said, then did a slight uplifting shrug of his shoulders, that twinkling in his eyes that often meant he was plotting something. "Oh, before I forget….Here. This is a letter for you as well. Open it once you feel confused about your place in things….or start to doubt your abilities."

Handing her the second letter, she took it nervously, and then nodded her head, taking a few steps back as she tucked that into another pocket. "…Thank you, Headmaster….I'll be careful."

Turning around, she darted down the stairs and out of the office, going back into the hall way. Glancing around she smirked just a bit, and then started walking towards the dungeons before anyone could notice she was supposed to be somewhere. Before she got tugged back in time, she wanted to get that spell working on her stuff so she wouldn't be stuck with nothing to wear. Of course she had taken a lot of her mother's old clothes from her teenage year….and altered them to a few other fashions from back then. It was a lot to try and take in, but thinking on the possibilities she smirked. Oh….she could make one side or the other win the war…to stop countless lives from being forfeit….like her mother's.

Muttering the password to get into her Common Room, she swept through it easily. Hearing a meow, she spun around and saw her kitten from home. Eyes wide, she picked up the small little black creature, cuddling it in her arms. "Nightmare," she exclaimed happily, pressing a kiss to the top of the creature's head. "Do you wanna come to the past with me sweet heart?"

Scratching behind the young kitten's ears, she walked up the stairs to the girls dormitories, humming an old Irish lullaby to herself. From what she was told, it was one that had helped her mother sleep as a child. Cradling her kitten in her arms, she pulled out her wand, and pointed it at the collar. Murmuring a rapid incantation, the same charm she was putting on her stuff, was put on her cat. Never would she let her sister take care of her most prized possession in the world.

Putting the cat down on her bed, she packed back up most of her trunk, putting a spell on it as well quickly. All the books from back then were in the trunk as well. She'd spoken to her God father about it, and she had most of his old books now….including one from his sixth year of potions. He left a note in it for his previous self if she somehow fell back during her sixth year as well. No one knew how any of this worked, and it was making her rather amused.

Falling back on her bed, she pulled her cat into her lap, and then cast a spell on her broom quickly as well for good measure. That was the last thing she wanted to forget. The only thing she felt bad about was leaving her Quidditch team behind. She was their last chance to beat Gryffindor this year….but why not cut off their winning streaks back in the Marauders Era? Oh, James Potter better look out for her once she got there if she was stuck for awhile.

As she kept her cat in her lap as she cut her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, she kept her eyes closed, stroking her fingers through the kitten's fur. "….What do you think I should do when I get there Nightmare….there are so many things to do…," she trailed off with a sigh. Opening her eyes she was staring up at the ceiling as her hand went to stroke at the Slytherin necklace around her neck, a faint smile on her lips. "…So many options, so many outcomes….I think I might just wait a while to decide, what do you think?"

Looking at her cat, the kitten just let out a mrow and nuzzled against her "mom's" neck, closing her own blue eyes. With a laugh, the young woman just closed her eyes, before that dizzy feeling took hold on her once again, and she sat up. Holding back a gag, she felt that power pulling at her, this time more violently throwing her back in time. Instead of landing in her room, she fell on the couch, almost like she had tripped. Her cat was still clutched in her arms, but she could have sworn she had landed in someone's lap.

At hearing someone clear their throat though, she flushed a bright red and instantly scrabbled up. Moving off the boy, she looked at him and felt even more mortified. There sitting on the couch, was Severus. A thirteen year old Severus with greasy looking hair and an agitated look on his face, even as he seemed to try and seize up the young Slytherin Heiress.

"You again? Do you never watch where you're going?" He grumbled at her as he stood up, and brushed himself off. "…I haven't seen you since you ran into me a week and a half ago….who the hell do you think you are?"

Holding back the urge to mouth off to him, she stroked at the amulet on her neck, and then let down Nightmare, looking at her kitten protectively before she looked back to Severus. "….I'm Lyra De'Larsha….do you think you can take me to the Headmaster's office? I really need to talk to him about something…" She murmured softly, going with her recent change in attitude to try and get on his good side. Assuming he still had a good side right now, she was pretty certain that he hadn't gone "bad" just yet.

The dark haired boy just grumbled something under his breath and slammed his book closed. "If it will keep you from bugging me….or falling on me, why not? Maybe the old man can teach you how to be co-ordinated." He sneered as he stood up, and then gestured for her to follow him.

Looking around behind her, Lyra chewed on her bottom lip, before she darted off after Snape. Not sure what she was going to find once she left the familiar, yet different, area of her Common Room. If she couldn't at least make friends with Snape…she might actually be in trouble, and be unable to fit in around here and wouldn't make a difference at all. On her way to the Headmaster's office though, she heard people murmur about her, good and bad things, as she hurried along, and slowly smirked. Maybe she could be something here that she wasn't in her time….or someone she wasn't. All of the possibilities in the world stood open for her, and now she couldn't wait.

"Hey, hurry it up," Snape grumbled at her as he strode up the stairs, his robes billowing around him some. That earned a light laugh from Lyra, reminding her of his older self back in her time.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Keep your shorts on," She muttered with a smirk as she darted after him in a flash of black hair.


	4. Ch3 New Home?

Stopping in front of the statue for a moment, she chewed on her bottom lip and glanced back at Severus. The boy just rolled his eyes and did a wave of his hand to tell her to get going. When she just stood there nervously, a loud sigh left the Slytherin's lips. "I'll be out here when you're done. I'm done with my classes for today. Alright?" He said, sounding just mildly annoyed, clearly starting to get used to the girl.

Lyra smiled at that, and quickly hugged him before she turned back to the gargoyle statue, starting to rattle off a list of passwords to it. Finally, she muttered "Acid Pops" and the gargoyle leapt aside, giving her the chance to start up the stairs. As she walked up the steps to Dumbledore's office though, her heart started to hammer in her chest like a hummingbird's wings. A multitude of thoughts were churning in her head, making her want to dart back downstairs and try to go back to the present.

He might not want her wandering around the castle in case she changed the future too badly. Then again…there wasn't too much more she could do to it from what her dreams were telling her. That would be an amazing thing to do though….change the future that was. Considering she had a clue as to what was helping her distant cousin actually stay alive, she could stop him before things got too out of control. Did she really want to betray her blood though? She barely knew the people in this time period that would end up dead by that man's hands, and the only life she really wanted to save was her mother's. What to do….that was the question of the century.

Taking in a deep breath, the thirteen year old Slytherin Heiress knocked on the door. There was utter silence behind the door, and for a few moments she thought she might just get to wait a bit and build her courage. It wasn't like she was a Gryffindor; her courage had to be fueled by something. There was no such luck though when she heard ruffling behind the door, and her heart started to hammer once again.

"Enter," that familiar wise voice said from the other side of the wooden door, and it made her want to squirm. Pulling the letter from the inside pocket of her robes, she chewed on her bottom lip, before she opened the door. Walking in, she glanced around to see all the things that were familiar in the room, trying to soothe herself with all the things that were like she remembered them. There was the absence of some things though, and there was the presence of others that she had never seen in there.

Looking up at a slightly younger Headmaster, she carefully walked up to his desk. That look of mild confusion on his face might have made her laugh in the past, but not now. Her very fate for being able to do anything in this time was hanging in the balance of things. Glancing over at Fawkes, the sight of the phoenix soothed her, and the young girl handed the letter over to Dumbledore, glad it was sealed with the seal he had on his desk. It would leave him either very confused, or already have him thinking up things like where she was from or what she was doing here. The more he thought, the more interesting it could get of course.

"Here, Headmaster. I really hope the future you explained this situation better than I can in this letter. I'd more than likely confuse the hell out of you," she murmured softly as he took the letter. This was one of those times she wished she knew what was written in the letter. Normally she would have broken open the damn letter so she could see if she should be worried or not. This time she had decided to be a "good girl" and try not to give reason to be distrustful. Her heritage gave enough of those doubts, she didn't need any more from this Dumbledore. As she continued to think, she heard a noise of musing that almost made her jump, and didn't soothe her mind at all.

Finally he looked up from the letter and Lyra met the man's gaze, her own ice blue eyes nervous and unsure. A soft twinkle was in the eyes behind the half moon spectacles, and her heart started to hammer that much more in her chest once again as he started talking. "Ms. De'Larsha, what an interesting gift you seem to have. I'm sure that whatever course of actions you decide to take while in this time period will turn out most interestingly for the rest of us," pausing to take a breath, his hands spread in front of him with a smile. "You may tell who you deem important enough to know of your true motives here. Your story is as followed to those who won't know anything about you. You're a transfer student from a smaller school in Ireland due to your immense talent…..that, and it would be rather hard to hide your Irish accent my dear. You'll have your own room so if you pop in and out of this time no one will notice. Classes for you start tomorrow. Alright, Ms. De'Larsha?"

As he got further in his little speech to her, she slowly started to relax just a bit more, her heart slowing back to normal. More than that, a little bit of excitement bubbled up inside of her, and it made her eager to jump right back into Hogwarts life. Smiling up at the Headmaster, she nodded her head. "Yes, Headmaster. Of course," she murmured in her Irish accented voice, getting up smoothly. Excitement was buzzing through her in jolts now. She'd get to meet the Marauders that she admired, and maybe even find some way to fix the future in a way it could help several people.

Before she got to the door, he spoke once again, causing her to look over her shoulder at him as he spoke to her. "And Ms. De'Larsha," he asked as he waited to make sure that she was paying attention.

"Yes, sir?" The girl asked timidly, nervousness flowing back through her as if she thought that he might yank all of that away from her.

"Try not to get into too many fights," he joked, though there was a warning there. A warning of what she wasn't exactly sure of, maybe of what her choices could lead her to? It seemed she would just have to keep an eye out for things that might end up causing her harm.

Lyra gave a nod of her head in agreement, and bolted out of the door before he could try and say anything else to her. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the warnings, but it was something she didn't and couldn't handle. Not at the moment. Darting down the stairs, she almost collided into the young Severus once she got past the statue, and hugged him instead, laughing softly, rather joyfully. Of course, her hug made him stiffen in her grip, and caused him to sigh.

"What are you doing?" he asked sharply, though he didn't shove her away from him. He found the girl mildly amusing, if not confusing to the extreme…and somewhat familiar.

"Thanking you of course," the young Slytherin Heiress laughed out. Pulling back, she even bowed her head to him respectively. "Your help got me my place in this school, Sev."

The shortening of his name to the nickname that his muggle-born friend always called him caused him to stiffen once again. Pulling back to look at the fellow Slytherin, he arched a brow slightly, almost worriedly. "Why did you call me Sev? Have you ever known Lily?"

Shaking her head at that question, a smile curved her lips slowly and lit up her normally cold eyes. The muggle-born that was Harry's mother. Oh, now she wanted to meet the girl and see what she was like back in school. All she had ever heard were a few stories about the woman after Harry was born. "No…I haven't met her yet, but I'd like to. Are you both going to study anywhere later? Can I join you both, please?" She asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him innocently.

Severus looked at the dark haired young woman, studying her some to try and see if she was being genuinely kind or if she wanted to make fun of Lily like so many others did. After a moment, he nodded his head with a light sigh. "After dinner. I'll show you the way. Oh….a tip before you head off….," he trailed off, waiting until she nodded to continue. "…Stay away from Malfoy, he's a shameless flirt." The young man said before he turned and started walking off in the direction of another of the classrooms.

That thought made her almost fall over laughing as she walked back towards the Common Room, shaking her head. Apparently Draco had inherited that from his father after all. That was a rather funny thought, and as she walked down to the dungeons, she chuckled to herself softly. There was so much she could do now, but for now….she had to unpack into that room she had to herself.

Muttering the password she'd gotten from someone who went in ahead of her, she walked through the entrance and ran her fingers through her hair. Looking around the Common Room, she smirked a bit and darted over to the couch where her cat was now sitting. Scooping up the little kitten, she kissed the top of the creature's head once again, and went off to the hall that led into her private room. Once she reached the hall, she opened the door, her stuff already there.

Looking over the shoulder, she closed the door behind her and put her cat down on her bed. Oddly enough, there was another bed in the room, why, she wasn't sure. It just meant that if she made any female friends here at the school that she could have them stay with her if she trusted them enough. Well, anyone in Slytherin. Part of her doubted that would happen oddly enough, though she couldn't put her finger on why. At least not in this time period. Brushing off the odd feeling though, she started to unpack. Dinner was right around the corner after all.


	5. Challenging a Marauder, and an Unlikely

Lyra had fallen asleep on her bed, her cat on her chest purring up a storm, and her mind was all over the place. It kept falling through time like her body had earlier, but it never stayed for long. Just flashes of the future hit her, including an older version of herself standing next a version of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Was she really seeing that?

As she woke up, the images faded from her mind, and her cat jumped off her chest with an agitated mrow, causing the young girl to yawn, rubbing at her eyes. Murmuring a soft sorry to her cat, she glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled. It was almost dinner time. Grabbing her bag and putting a few of the books and some pieces of parchment in there, as well as an ink well and some quills, she looked in the mirror. Stopping her rushing around, she leaned forward, brushing a finger over her cheek. She looked so much like her mother it wasn't funny and part of her wanted to cry at the fact, and the other part wanted to be proud.

As she clipped her hair back from her face some, she smiled, then darted out of the door to her bedroom, and to the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room. Weaving through people, she started to make her way to the Great Hall. It was almost the same as usual, except the years were different. She didn't see her twin sister, or have anyone clinging to her arms. Oddly enough, that was comforting in a way.

Approaching the door, she took in a deep breath, and tried to prepare herself for what she knew she'd see inside. The boys known as the Marauders were in there, and it was making her jumpy. Meeting Lily would just be a curious experience, but meeting the boys? The boys that could almost be Slytherins if they weren't as loyal as they were, then she would have possibly known them more in their "Golden Years" of age. Maybe not though. That's just how fate went sometimes.

Opening the door, she walked in, getting countless looks from several of the students around. Looking over the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, she almost scoffed before her eyes landed on Gryffindor. Seeing the four boys she wished to, she slowly grinned. Why the grin some would ask? Why, because Sirius black was apparently seizing her up, trying to see if she was one of those…prickly Slytherin girls perhaps. James was looking at her like he wasn't sure what to make of the "exchange student", Peter was just in shock, and Remus didn't seem to know what to think. Or maybe he was trying to see how intelligent she was so, just in case she started to figure out what he was. Oh, but she already knew. Uncle Sev had told her back in her current days.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she smirked slowly in Sirius' direction, before she walked over to the Slytherin table, sitting down right next to Severus. Giving a very light yawn, she turned to look at him with a smile. "…Thanks again for helping me out, Sev," She said just loud enough for him to hear. Helping people was not a good thing in Slytherin house in any time she was sure, but especially this one when alliances to her cousin were slowly being made. Leaning in, she hugged him, and then let go, hearing a loud groan from the Gryffindor table.

"Don't tell me the hot Slytherin is after Snivellius! That would be tragic!" A rather loud and confident voice from the Gryffindor table said. As Lyra glanced over, she saw Black studying her almost clinically. It was as if he thought she had to be mad to want to associate with Severus. Well….some people were, but that wasn't the point. The point was that if he insulted her future god father too much in front of her she'd publically embarrass the male on purpose.

Raising a brow at him though, she leaned back on her hands, the blouse that was part of uniform showing just a bit of her chest, her intent to tease them before finally showing itself. "He's a friend, but the hot Slytherin has a name, mate. The name's Lyra." She said loudly enough to be heard, and people from both tables looked both and forth between them. Both of them had a confidence and cockiness to them that was clear, and many thought it might just close the room to combust from how they were seizing each other up. The tension as they just looked at each other, trying to see who would say the next thing was something that you could have cut with a knife.

Luckily, Remus elbowed Sirius before he took a bit of his food and shook his head. It was clear that this time he thought his friend was being an idiot. If this was him being an idiot, she wondered briefly what he being a moron was like. That elbowing knocked Sirius back into himself though.

"Well then, Lyra…I'm Sirius. Sirius Black," he said with a smirk, lifting his glass to her before he took a drink. The boy was bold, Lyra would give him that much, and she rolled her eyes.

"Wow, Black, that's all you got?" She asked, and while some girls looked at her like she was nuts, the young Lily Evans seemed to find her amusing as she chuckled, and Sirius just blinked. The young Slytherin heiress stood up, and did a curtsey, mumbling in Gaelic, before she translated to English. "I thank you very much for the respect, Mister Black, but I do believe you think you can get anyone you wish…." Trailing off, she saw several of the boys from all the houses glare at Black. Ah, so that was how it was, was it?

Lifting her own glass to her lips, taking a sip before she smirked, "It would seem to me that you are in need of a challenge, Black. Allow me, to be it. If you can impress me enough by the end of the year, we'll discuss a prize, but I doubt you'll do anything worthwhile." She said casually as she took another sip of her drink, and sat down.

As soon as she sat down, there was a bunch of applause from many of the guys, and Severus was looking at her in shock while Lily looked over and gave her a nod of approval. Well, apparently she was already proving her merit. Sirius was clearly shocked, and Remus had a slightly amused smile on his face as James started joking with his friend about her no doubt, and Peter just tried to stay in the conversation. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she felt like she had accomplished a job well done as she took a few bites of her food, a smirk curving her lips. Teasing Black might just be the highlight of her stay here, then again….

Glancing at Remus she smiled a bit more kindly, making him smile in amusement would be a good accomplishment she was sure. If she was right, not much could make him smile. Part of her wanted to be able to. Pushing that away for now though, she continued her meal, on occasion speaking to Severus about different classes, her bag right next to her as she ignored the looks from Lucius. Apparently she was a desired item here too. Great.

After they finished their meal, Severus and Lyra got up, walking to the door, and stopped, looking over their shoulders in near unison. The young Lily smiled up at them and scooped up her stuff, waving to the guys before she darted over to them both. Extending her hand, Lyra smiled brightly at the girl. "Hi Lily, I'm Lyra….well, guess you heard that."

All three of them laughed as they walked out of the Great Hall, after Lily shook her hand. Lily was between the two Slytherin's, and the three of them had linked arms, grins on their faces. Lily nodded her head though with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you, I think you almost knocked Black down a few pegs," she said with a light smirk and chuckled.

The young Slytherin brushed off her nails on her shirt and examined them with a grin. "Oh, I intend to do much more than that, Ms. Lily, I think it could be fun," she laughed. Glancing over at Sev, she watched him study Lily, but then looked back to the girl with a grin. "Is he always that cocky?"

Lily laughed while she nodded while Severus scowled and nodded as they went up the stairs. There seemed to be more there in Severus' face, and she knew that he was teased by the Marauders, and part of her wanted to storm off and punch them for it….while another part seemed almost drawn to them. Maybe Sirius was part Veela though, that would explain the boy's over confidence about everything, well, that was her theory anyway. No one could have that much of a draw to them.

Joking all the way up to the library, they went off to a corner and pulled out their books, exchanging tricks of the trade. Severus seemed almost shocked when she knew all of his little tricks and shortcuts. Holding back a knowing grin, she looked down at her book, scribbling a few notes up in the side. All of the books she would keep, a memory in case she couldn't come back here one day. Oh, she hoped that didn't happen now. She was actually having fun, and meeting Lily was more than just a curiosity now….now it seemed like a fast friendship, the same with Sev. Calling him that wasn't even weird, nor was seeing all of the Professors younger when she saw them in the hall.

The time seemed to pass too quickly for them up in the library, and Severus and Lyra were darting back down to the dungeons, muttering quietly to each other so as not to get the attention of prefects pulled to them. Once they slipped in, Lyra scooped up her cat once again, stroking at the young cat's head. "…See you at breakfast right?"

Severus just nodded his head with a yawn, having gotten quieter and quieter the whole way down to the dungeons. Clearly the boy was tired, but Lyra was still wired for the moment. It was almost as if time travelling was a good energy booster. After waving goodnight to Severus, she darted down the hall to her little room.

With her cat bundled in her arms, she opened the door and closed it behind her with a laugh. She'd already made a sort of challenge with the notorious Sirius Black, the breaker of hearts some called him. Well, she could almost tell why. Holding back a girlish giggle, she put down her cat, and got ready for bed, looking in the mirror she saw a bit of her mother there, but more her this time. A smirk curved her lips and she looked over at her pet cat before she climbed into bed, the cat curling up right next to her.

"…I think I'll like it here, Nightmare…..I think I'll love it here," she whispered as that grogginess of sleep started to claim her mind. Even as she started to drift off into the land of dreams, flashes of possible futures hit into her brain. There were things that were at once wonderful and horrible at once. A fitful sleep was what awaited the young Slytherin Heiress as her journey finally started along the time line, so many options and things to do off the main web. All of her choices, would affect the present in an unknown way.

But what did she have to lose? If only she had known then.


	6. A Test?

The morning that Lyra woke up, everything was going by in a blur, and her mind was taking forever to catch up with her waking body. As she got ready, flashes from her dreams just kept going into her head. Some of it was just noises and talking in the back of her head and others was flashes of imagery. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that she was going mad and that there was no turning back for her. Luckily, she kind of knew the cause of what was going on so it didn't frighten her too much.

Even breakfast went by in a blur, ignoring the Marauders without even trying and only hearing half of what Severus had to say. That was something she wanted to kick herself over as she became more aware when they were leaving the Great Hall to get to their first class of the day. Charms. After that they'd have Potions, and all of this was with a group of Gryffindors. Perfect. With her luck, Black would try and sit next to her so he could "impress" her, or attempt to anyway. It took a lot to impress a De'Larsha girl, hell; technically she was a Slytherin girl by name if she wanted to be. One day she might choose that, especially if she had to go back to her time and marry the young Malfoy like many of the "good" families wanted. Pfff, they could want all they wanted, it was more than likely not happening.

Accidentally bumping into someone, she almost snapped at them before she realized who it was and smiled. Rubbing the back of her head almost sheepishly she smiled. "Hey….sorry, Lily. Zoning out, kinda….my mind is just now catching up to my body," she explained.

A laugh came from the other young woman's lips, and she nodded her head in understanding as she opened the door and they both walked out. "It's fine Lyra. We all have those mornings," she said with a chuckle, linking arms with the girl once again, and before Lyra could respond, the other girl looked up at Severus with a grin. "Go grab us seats in Charms, Sev? Ly and I need girl talk, unless you want to stay for that…." She trailed off, making him cringe some and shake his head.

"…I'll go grab seats." Severus said wisely as he went off ahead of the two girls. Many people in Gryffindor started muttering stuff around him, and earned glares from Lyra and Lily. It seemed both girls were there to protect the younger Sev from ridicule for now. They were rather good at it actually, a good pair.

"So….what's up with calling me Ly, Lil?" Lyra asked with a light smirk as they walked at a casual pace. They weren't going to be late, and they knew it. That, and now that Severus was getting them seats they didn't have to worry about having to find seats once they got there. The friend system always worked, and it's what Lyra had done to Pansy so many times before it wasn't even funny. Wait, that was a lie. It was funny.

"Well, shortening your name works and doesn't sound bad, so I did it," the Gryffindor explained with a bright smile, going up the stairs with her Slytherin friend before she started talking again. "Oh, but I wanted to warn you a bit. I think you bruised Sirius' ego….meaning he'll more than likely try almost anything to get his image as school Casanova back to himself by getting you. Just ignore him, and maybe he'll go away." She said with a laugh, watching the Slytherin.

The whole time Lily had been talking though, Lyra had been plotting as well as listening. If he was going to try almost anything to get her so he could have his so called image back, this would be even more fun. While Lily told her to avoid him, she knew that she wanted. Hell, she might even flirt with Remus. Then again….that would be in her benefit as well since she was attracted to both of them just a bit. Not that she'd be admitting to that anytime, oh no.

Focusing back on Lily, she grinned just a bit. "Aww, but come on Lily. It's fun knocking him down a few pegs, I love it!" She laughed, darting ahead of Evans a bit up the next set of stairs. Looking over her shoulder at the girl, she had music playing in her head from her time period, and knowing she couldn't sing it around others, it kind of hurt, but she had it playing in her head for now. Glancing down the stairs, she saw Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter talking. Smirking some, she glanced at Lily, only to have the girl shake her head.

"….Don't even, Ly," she laughed, though she looked over the edge to, going up the stairs to stand next to Lyra. Both of them had grins on their faces, and looked rather amused.

The Slytherin dug through her bag, getting out a piece of parchment and a book. Grabbing a quill she quickly scribbled a note onto the parchment and folded it into a bird. Putting up the quill and the book, she pulled out her wand and put an enchantment on the bird folded piece of paper. Placing it in her hand carefully as she put away her wand, she blew the bird down to the boys.

The piece of parchment landed on Sirius' head, causing Remus to glance up and point for Sirius to look. All of them did though, and both girls wiggled their fingers down at them in a wave, light smirks on their lips. Lyra even blew a teasing kiss down to Sirius, and then to Remus, before she darted up the stairs with Lily. Both of them were laughing up a storm, and they exchanged a look. It was one of those "we're going to drive them crazy and we know it" girl looks that was only decipherable by other females. Arm in arm once again, they walked into the Charms classroom, moving over to sit near Severus.

With how the class was divided, they were right at the edge of the Gryffindor and Slytherin sides, meaning another few Gryffindors would have to sit close by. Oddly enough, that was okay by Lyra as long as it was the Marauders she was starting to already consider friends, even if she hadn't formally met them. Remus was cute, and from the things she heard he was really brilliant. Sirius was the school flirt, very into getting who he could. Why that was no one knew, but many just called him a sex addict. James was the goofy ring leader of the group, and Peter seemed almost like a tag-a-long.

Brushing the thoughts from her head, she paid attention to the lesson. She was taking notes as fast as things were said, and the practice of the different spells was a piece of cake. She was paired up with Lily, and the two of them kept looking over at the Gryffindor Marauders. Both of them had the one (ones in Lyra's case) that they looked at the most. Each time they looked over, the boys they looked at either ignored them or looked, causing the girls to giggle softly. Fast friends were what the two of them were, and Lyra was so comfortable around Lily that she ended up muttering in Gaelic, then translating when she asked. Normally that didn't happen, and she just let people try and figure out what she said.

The class zoomed by, and it was at the end of class that Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter came over to her, raising a brow. It was James that spoke first though. "Mind if we talk to you, De'Larsha? Out at the lake. Got it?" It sounded like a request, and Sirius was studying her again.

She seized up the group of them, and then glanced back at Severus. The boy was tense, before he walked passed those four, him and Lily walking off. Lily looked back at her and nodded her head, giving her silent encouragement to go and talk to them. Well, if she was encouraging her…who was she to say no? Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she smiled up at them, and then shrugged. "Sure, now?" she asked curiously, and Remus nodded.

"…Meet us there in a few minutes, Lyra. We have to grab something from our room first," he explained softly, a bit more soft spoken than James by far. It was hard not to want to listen when they both were trying to persuade someone. True, she was sure that Sirius had his way with the ladies, but that was obviously not why they wanted to talk to her.

"Fine, I'll be waiting then." Throwing her bag over her shoulder she walked past the four of them, humming to herself as she did so. Even as she walked out of the room, she felt eyes on her that almost bored into the back of her head. Walking down the stairs to start heading to the Great Hall, she wanted to grab an apple before she went out to the lake. She had a feeling that this conversation was going to be interesting or something that might make her angry beyond belief. It just depended.

Normally she would have gotten angry by something or other by now, but oddly enough….in this time she felt calm. The pressure to not show that she was happy, to not show that she was enjoying herself wasn't pressing down on her. She didn't have to be anything other than herself, anything more than Lyra. Eventually, when she went home, that would be a problem. The adjustment from being open with others to having to lock back down was going to start killing her mind eventually, if she already didn't go mad from time jumping as much as she knew she was going to. This wasn't going to be something that ended anytime soon. She could feel it.

Walking into the Great Hall, she went right over to the fruit bowl that was in the center, and grabbed an apple. Turning on her heel, she walked right back out, taking a bite out of it with a chuckle. Later that day she'd have to try out for the Slytherin Quidditch team, but until then, she could afford to just goof around between classes. Today wasn't too busy. Just Charms, Potions, Trans, and CoMC. Later in the week she'd have a lot more to do, and there was a large gap between Charms and Potions. It was almost as if they wanted her to have time to think. But about what? What could be so important that she could change in even one year here?

Walking down towards the lake she shook her head, taking a bite out of her apple. "It's ridiculous what all of them expect of me…..bloody ridiculous," she muttered to herself. Then she saw a flash of her father in her head, from the previous year. He'd been telling her what he expected of her, what he wanted her to do if she had the chance. Kill Harry. She couldn't. She'd had so many chances and couldn't do it because the boy was oddly familiar and a way that she didn't know back then. Now she knew. He looked like James and Lily too dominantly to lay a finger on.

How she seemed so attached to them when she hadn't even known them that long was driving her mad, it was something that never happened. She hadn't even felt that close to Draco when she saw him in school, and they grew up together. Their families were so closely woven together; it was only a matter of time to some people that the families would finally mix ties. Oh, present day Lucius would have loved that. Still would she bet; back in her time period.

Stopping at a tree near the lake, she sat down, tucking her legs under herself as she took another bite out of the apple. Clearly, she hadn't eaten nearly enough back at breakfast in the great hall. The apple was more than likely not going to fill her up completely, but it would help. Plus the fact that her constant thinking of the then and now was starting to get confused. Now felt more….now, here, at this point in time that wasn't hers. She was sure just being here she had altered something in the future, maybe just memories, but something.

Hearing footsteps coming over, she glanced to the side and saw the boys. Peter had an apple too, so maybe she wasn't the only one that hadn't eaten properly. A very slight smile curved her lips, showing just a bit of tiredness to it. The only bad thing about this time so far, was that no one could really know who she was, or really know why some topics would get extremely touchy for her.

Sitting up straighter though, she smoothed her hair back from her face. "So, what do you gentlemen want to talk to me about," she asked calmly, watching as they all sat down as well. Well then. This wasn't odd at all. It felt kind of like home, in a way. Everyone sat around her then, but she had a feeling this was a bit more serious, and she didn't mean the person.

"Well, you made a bet with Sirius, in a way, right?" James asked with a light smirk, messing up his hair just a bit more than normal. It seemed to be a habit of his, a habit that his son had in the future, Lyra noted. There were so many similarities, except the eyes. It was like everyone said. Harry had his mother's eyes.

"Uh, yeah, why?" She replied, crossing her arms over her chest as Sirius and James grinned, and Remus smiled just a bit. Apparently she was missing something, but whether it was a big something or a little something wasn't known yet. Not that the size of the something she was missing really mattered.

James glanced at Sirius, who nodded, then looked at Remus and Peter who nodded as well. Looking back at the dark haired girl, James smirked. "Wouldn't that work better if you hung around us a bit more, gave him a chance to be able to impress you," he asked with a light grin. The plan that they were slowly coming up with, was to see if she could run with them a bit more. She had the attitude that they had, and one that was similar to Lily's as well. It was odd, that so many people thought alike like them, especially a Slytherin.

Raising a brow, she shrugged some. "Hmm, possibly. Why? Are you offering to let a Slytherin run with you guys?" Now she was rather interested, and knew that this would change history quite a bit. Perhaps for the better, whichever fate was better at this point. She wasn't sure.

"Well, first you have to pass a test," Sirius added with a light smirk as he looked at James, then Remus. Both of the other guys were smiling, and Lyra had to roll her eyes.

"Alright, I'll bite. What test?" She asked as she leaned back on her hands, getting comfortable as she studied each of them. They looked like they were a bunch of birds about to steal a snake egg from a nest. A rather good comparison, if they were Ravenclaws. Lions didn't have anything to do with snakes though, did they? Now she wanted to do research. Her mind could get too focused and literally sometimes, more than her own good.

"Sneak out here tonight with us, we're gonna go to Hogsmeade." Sirius and James said in unison, smirking a bit more than was necessary for such a minor task. The thought alone amused Lyra, that this would be the great test. Then again, she was sure she'd be tested throughout the year. Either way, she wanted to prove herself now.

"Done," she said simply, pushing herself up to brush off her uniform. "What time?" She added with a smirk, one hand resting on her hip as she looked over all four of them. Clearly, they were mildly shocked, but seemed happy, that she'd agreed to come out tonight.

"Midnight, if you aren't afraid," Sirius said with a smirk, and Remus rolled his eyes some and looked over at her with a shrug. Almost as if to say "sorry he added the last bit". Well, the Slytherin girl didn't care one bit.

"Fine. I'll see the four of you tonight…." Trailing off she picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Wiggling her fingers in a goodbye wave, she headed back towards the castle, a new swing in her step. With these guys, she had a feeling they were better than the twins, and then had the urge to thump herself on the head. Of course they were better than the twins, the created that map she'd heard them talk about. Hell, they'd been in detention enough together that she heard these things.

With a slow sigh though, she glanced back at them, then darted off. She didn't want to be late to Potions after all, not her favorite subject. Well, tied for favorite subject. This day was getting better and better.


	7. To Test a Slytherin

The rest of the day went by in a blur, even Potions with Severus and Lily wasn't that full of thought for her. It was almost as if she were on autopilot as she tried to think of different ways she could sneak out of the dungeons. Of course those foolish little Gryffindors she almost already adored just had to sneak out of a tower. Prefects always patrolled down in the dungeons more than most places, which would make this little test of theirs difficult, but she intended to pass it with flying colors. Lyra didn't take losing easily, so she would fight for this with all her might.

At dinner though, she felt eyes of the Marauders on her, as if they were trying to figure out what she was thinking. Well, she wished them luck. Her mind was such an explosive field they'd be lucky to find anything at all. It wasn't really a thought process with her as much as ideas smacked into her and almost always knocked her over.

When Sev sat down next to her she smiled at him, forcing herself to focus just a bit on the present matter at hand. First, she had to get through dinner and get back to her Common Room, then think out a plan. She did have her broom with her, so if she could sneak out with that thing she had half a chance. "Hey Sev, what's up," she asked casually, raising her glass to her lips to take a sip of her pumpkin juice. As always, it was good.

"Nothing really…..those idiots are staring at you, Ly," he stated with annoyance as he looked over at them, and then glanced back to the dark haired Slytherin girl. Why the Marauders had taken a sudden interest in Lyra like they had Lily, Sev wasn't sure, but he sure as hell didn't like it.

"So? Just ignore them, Sev. They're a bunch of idiots, just as you said." Lifting a fork full of potatoes to her lips, she glanced over at Sirius and Remus through the corners of her eyes, studying them. They seemed to be conversing close together with James, and now she was practically itching with curiosity. Oh, she'd ask them about it later tonight once she got out. Taking another sip of her drink, she glanced over at Sev, who was glaring over at the boys then sighed, and turned his face to hers.

"Sev! Stop it. I don't want any of us getting in trouble for starting a fight in the middle of the Great Hall, alright!" She exclaimed with a shake of her head, then let go of him and took another bite off her plate, starting to get mildly annoyed with the guy.

Shaking his head, Severus just ran a hand through his hair before taking a sip of his drink. "I just worry a bit, alright? Potter and his gang are not the best people to run with." He said as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. Well, in a way he had a point. They always got in trouble, and that's something she found amusing if she was completely honest with herself.

The rest of dinner was spent talking about Potions class and new ways that they could impress Slughorn. Well, it wouldn't be too hard to do considering he was already following Severus, Lily, and now Lyra around like they were golden. If that guy could seriously preserve his students in their golden days, she was sure that he would, however creepy that was. It made him seem like one of those odd Muggle perverts or something. Oh well, she was just going to drop that line of thinking before it damaged her brain.

As she got up, she hugged Sev with a rather realistic fake yawn. "I'm headin to bed, mate. See you in the morning." She said smoothly, and started walking to leave the Great Hall. Before she got far, she heard a loud whistle from the Gryffindor table and glanced over her shoulder. Sirius had a huge smirk on his face and was standing up. Oh dear, what in the world could he be doing? He was bound to make a fool out of himself, especially when she heard him humming slightly. Oh Merlin….he was going to sing.

With a loud bang though, she almost started laughing. Lily had made his pie explode up into his face, and she winked over at Lyra. The two girls shared a look, and then nearly fell over laughing. To Lyra, that was the most bloody brilliant thing someone could have done to avoid the singing situation. Oh, she owed Lily big time. Whatever the girl wanted, she'd give it to her in a heartbeat now. Whether it was advice or something more than that, she owed her that at the very least.

Even as she continued to laugh, she walked out of the Great Hall and toward the dungeons, humming an old Irish song under her breath now. Now, because of Sirius, she actually wanted to sing. True, she was only slightly skilled in it, but maybe if she decided to join the chorus she could get better at it. Then again, she could just end up butchering the poor Hogwarts Choir efforts. That she didn't want to do. As she hummed to herself, she got down to the dungeons and quickly muttered the password to get into the Common Room. Pausing, she saw a dark haired boy that bore a strong resemblance to Sirius. There was only one explanation, it was Regulus Black.

Looking at the second year, she tilted her head to the side, studying him some. He seemed a bit like Sirius in appearance, but for now she didn't want to deal with too many other Slytherins. She had things to plan. Giving the boy a quick nod in greeting, she blinked as she heard a familiar meow as she was about to walk away.

As she walked over, she saw her kitten batting at his cat, or at least she guessed that was his cat. "Um…how long have they been goofing around like that?" The girl asked curiously, her fingers brushing at her kitten's side gently, smiling fondly at the cats. Oh, she adored her cats, just as much as she adored her snakes. It was odd really, and it was a shock that she wasn't more linked to cats.

"…Not sure, just saw them," He mumbled softly as he watched the cats, and then picked up his own. His cat was rather thin, but seemed very healthy if she was completely honest.

"Ah, alright…..," she trailed off, eyeing him some as she picked up her own cat, cradling the pure black kitten in her arms. "I'll see you around, Black." She said casually, and walked towards her hall before she heard him clear his throat, causing her to look over her shoulder at him. "Yes?"

"….Be careful around my brother, De'Larsha. He's trouble." Regulus muttered as he turned and walked off, his stride very much like his brother's, almost that same confident gait. It was either hereditary, or he'd watched the way his brother walked, or that was that rare possibility that it was dominant in most pure bloods. Now she was wondering about how she walked, as she turned around with a sigh and headed back down her lonely hallway.

Opening the door to her room, she slipped inside and locked the door behind her as she walked over to sit on her bed. Putting Nightmare down on the bed, she cooed at the kitten. Getting just a loud meow in response, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Some conversationalist you are," she muttered, even as the cat curled up on her bed, finding a comfortable spot no doubt. Well, luckily tomorrow as a Friday and the classes wouldn't be as long, or as many.

As she reached over and started to stroke at her cat gently, she shook her head with a soft sigh, closing her eyes as she tried to think. Slowly thoughts started to churn in her head. If she could get out of the dungeons, she could go out a window and use her broom. That would be the fastest and easiest way to do that, but for now she was going to end up taking a nap. Tapping her cat she pulled out her wand and tapped the clock on her side table, setting an alarm without much work before she rolled over and closed her eyes, her hair fanning underneath her head and over the pillow.

A few hours later, her cat started batting at her nose gently, and she sat bolt right up, her hair a wild disarray in her face, and she pushed it back. Glancing at a clock, she cursed. She had only an hour to figure everything out. There was one small thing that she was thankful for though, she had finally thought up a plan that would work as long as she could get the hell out of the Dungeons in time. That would be the hardest part, sneaking around the prefects.

Getting up out of bed, she quickly used a charm that tamed her hair and moved over to her mirror. Tying back the long strands of black hair, she went over and grabbed her broom and smiled before she set her wand in her pony tail, then slipped out of the room quietly. It was time for the young Heiress of Slytherin to make her big debut to the Marauders of Gryffindor tower.

Right before she reached the door that would let her out of the dungeon though, there was a very loud clearing of someone's throat behind her. It made the young woman stiffen up noticeably, and she glanced over her shoulder. Relaxing a bit once she saw that it was Severus, she smiled and wiggled her fingers in a small wave.

"Hi, Sev. Just going out for an evening fly. What's up," she asked calmly, though she was so jumpy right now it wasn't funny. He was just making her even later for the plan that she'd figured out.

The man raised a brow at her and sighed, shaking his head, crossing his arms over his chest as he spoke. "…You're going to meet them, aren't you? Just…be careful, alright? I don't trust them as far as I can throw them."

With a sigh, she nodded her head and quickly hugged her friend before slipping out the common room door. Keeping close to the side of the wall in shadow, she started to edge along, keeping her broom held securely in her hand. The first prefect she had to dodge past was someone she didn't know, and she was lucky of that. If she had to jinx a prefect, she would rather it not be one that she talked to on a regular basis that recognized her fighting style.

With much patience and cunning that any Slytherin should truly have if they should bare the Slytherin crest over their heart, she made it up to the Transfiguration Tower. Lyra De'Larsha was never one to pass up making an entrance, and tonight was no different than the nights before in her life. She had earned doing this. Hell, they'd better still keep good on their bargain to let her hang around the Marauders, or else.

Stepping onto the window ledge she took in a deep breath and held out her broomstick, straight up. Resting her first foot on the spoke, she put her other foot on, and was rather relieved when it kept floating. Tilting it to the side some, she stood gracefully and let it go towards the lake. As she grew closer to the location she had to be at, she saw four figures standing close together, and a grin curved her lips. Oh, she was just on time. Glancing up at the sky, she smiled at the first quarter moon, before she tilted the broom back upright, and just let it start floating down towards them.

Pettigrew noticed her first, and his jaw dropped as he focused on the raven haired Slytherin girl that was floating down on her broom. The next one to look up was Black, and Sirius looked almost as shocked as Peter had, though his jaw didn't drop down. Sirius was just a little too dignified for that. Next, James and Remus looked up at the same time as Lyra got closer, and they both blinked, then chuckled. Remus looked almost happy, and James just looked amused. Clearly, the first two hadn't thought that she'd be able to make it out of the dungeons.

"Surprised to see me, boys? Just so you know, it is damn hard to get out of the dungeons at this time of night. I'm shocked that I didn't have any close calls," she laughed to herself as she touched down, jumping off her broom and let her long hair down. Her eyes glanced at Remus with a smile before she walked to James, her arms crossed over her chest. "So, I pass the test?"

Feeling eyes on her, she didn't look over her shoulder to look, knowing it had to be Sirius staring at her and Peter still opened mouthed. That poor boy was too easily impressed, and hopefully she could break him of that a little bit. Like with her team beating Gryffindor this year. The try-outs were being held that weekend on Saturday morning after all. She'd be a shoe in for Seeker, or perhaps Beater, her position back home.

James, clearly the ring leader of the little group, studied Lyra for a few moments before he laughed and nodded his head. "That was bloody brilliant, you could have been caught with that little show alone," he said, about to say something more before she cut him off.

"I didn't though. That was pure luck, that was. Though my skill maneuvered me through the castle, I'd say." The young girl said with a rather triumphant smile, right before Black chimed in.

"Brilliant? Brilliant? That was bloody amazing! If you didn't say she was in James, I would have had to shake some sense into ya, mate," he laughed, then dove forward, attempting to hug the Slytherin girl.

Having anticipated that as soon as he started talking, the girl jumped forward, making Sirius fall onto his knees, and a shocked expression light his face. Spinning around to face her lovely suitor, she knelt down to look him in the face. "Aww, I know I'm amazing, Black, but that doesn't mean you have to bow to me."

That one response got James rolling with laughter, and Remus chuckling to himself while Black tried not to blush. Brushing his long hair out of his face he played off his embarrassment with a chuckle. "Don't know what you mean, love, I think that you need to be shown how much you mean to be already," he countered, batting his full lashes at the girl with one of his charming smiles.

Lyra and Remus both rolled their eyes, and said in unison. "You are such a suck up." Then they both blinked and laughed, shrugging their shoulders before James helped Sirius up off the ground.

The group then grinned as they headed towards the Forbidden Forest, Lyra glancing around, taking everything in. Still acting as if this was her first big exploration of the campus for the sake of appearances, she stood between Remus and Sirius. Now that there were five Marauders technically, they were pretty evenly distributed, and Lyra stood dead center of the group. Being lead by Remus, they talked about possible pranks, and avoided talking about any major school issues. They stayed out till around three in the morning out in the woods, actually talking to a few of the centaurs as well as jinxing a few of the creatures that gave them problems.

Remus was the one that realized the time and alerted all of them to it, making Lyra tense before she cursed. "….I have to get back into the Dungeons undetected…" trailing off, she seemed truly distressed, before James grinned.

"I'll get you back safely, Lyra. The boys know how to get into Gryffindor Tower without my….secret," James said, and winked at Sirius who grinned as well and started leading the other two off once they were back at the edge of the lake.

"Secret?" She asked curiously as she watched the other three walk off, focusing more on Remus, trying not to blush as she watched him leave, then glanced back to James. The young woman was having a bit of trouble keeping herself in check, but she couldn't wait to start playing pranks with the boys, she knew it was going to be an absolute blast.

"Yeah, Ly, a secret…." Trailing off, Potter grinned just a bit, shaking his head. "We have to get you an animal based nickname eventually, Ly. It'll be funny." Before Lyra could comment or ask why that would be funny, James picked up his cloak and swept it around his shoulders, "Come on, Lyra."

Hesitantly, Lyra walked over to him, and let him put the cloak over both of them. Oddly enough, she soon could see through it, and she blinked several times in shock. "…No way…." She whispered softly, then glanced up at James who was smiling proudly.

"Way." He said with a laugh as they started walking towards the castle. The whole time they whispered about how they could use the cloak for possible pranks, and such. Once she got back to the entrance to the Slytherin common room, she slipped out from under the cloak and quickly hugged James, before disappearing inside without a word. She would only get a few hours of sleep before breakfast, but that really didn't matter to her as she darted down the hall to her room with her broom.

Slipping inside she laughed and spun around, looking at her reflection on the mirror she saw a happiness she hadn't seen in her eyes in a while. That happiness was unmarked by cruelty, and there was a playful recklessness in her eyes that even she couldn't completely explain. Shaking her head, she got ready for bed again, and slipped under the covers, closing her eyes. As her eyes closed though, curiosity still knawed at her. What else could she find out about these mysterious boys that called themselves the Marauders of Hogwarts? She wanted to find out.


	8. Chapter 7 Lunch Date?

The next day went by without much of a hitch, Sev didn't seem too upset that Lyra was exhausted, and so were the Marauders. Rumors were flying all over the school that they had gotten into a huge duel. The five of them, well, six of them, were the only ones to know the truth on the matter. The truth being that Lyra had been made an honorary Marauder. The rumors were too hilarious to try and set straight, so for now they didn't.

That weekend though, she went to the Slytherin Quidditch team try-outs, discovering that only three positions were open. One beater, a keeper, and a chaser; their seeker was still on for the ride for the moment. That was only a minor hitch in her plans to get on the team though. So what her chosen position wasn't free? Playing as Beater would still be a hilarious experience, especially if she accidentally hit James in the face. Holding back a laugh at the thought, she zoomed through try-outs.

The next day, when the results were posted up in the Common Room, she let out a loud yell of victory, doing a happy dance right there in the Common Room. Regulus rolled his eyes as he walked past, and Severus just chuckled, a bit of a smile on his lips.

"Knew you'd get it, Ly. Everyone did. There is no way you couldn't have gotten a position with the way you fly," he muttered to her on their way out of the Common Room and towards lunch.

A laugh left the girl's lips, and she shrugged. "Well, I had to appear humble in a way, didn't I Sev? I couldn't have strolled in there like Potter or Black and been like "Hey, I'm Lyra and I'm about to steal the position I want from all the rest of you prospective Beaters," she countered, causing them both to laugh.

Walking through the halls in her Slytherin robes, she was humming a song very lightly under her breath as Severus started rattling off things they had to do on their next trip to Hogsmeade. Listening, she merely nodded her head a few times in answer, and then jumped as she heard someone call out her name as they approached the Great Hall. The voice sounded familiar, and she spun around, focusing in on Sirius and Remus, thinking it very odd that the other two weren't with the Marauders.

"What's up?" She asked calmly, straightening her bag on her shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest, causing Sev to glance between the three of them, clearly tensed up.

"Well…..we wanted to know if you'd come and have lunch with us in a…..unique location," Remus said softly, shrugging his shoulders as Sirius seemed to bounce on his feet.

Taking several steps forward he took her hand with a smile. "Come on, De'Larsha! We haven't seen you alone in ages!" Sirius almost pleaded, but his voice was joking and there was his signature smirk curving his lips.

It took all of Lyra's conscious effort not to make her laugh at the boy holding her hand. Glancing over at Severus, she saw his look of agitation, but he shrugged his shoulders. He wouldn't hold her back, he was good about that. He'd only interfere if he thought the boys were going to hurt her. Hell, she never wanted to know what would happen if they all got into a serious fight.

Laughing softly, the girl shook her head and smiled. "Fine, fine, I'll come. Just stop jumping around like a puffskane," she laughed, brushing raven locks of hair out of her face. The answering smirks that Sirius had made her almost regret telling him to stop bouncing around. Remus just smiled, that shy adorable smile of his, and it made her smile brightly to know it was because she was going to spend time with them.

Lyra leaned over and hugged Severus with a smile, waving bye before she walked with the two Marauders to the seventh floor, raising a brow as they went. What interesting location could possibly be here? True, she hadn't explored nearly as much of the castle as these four had to of, but she liked to think she knew a lot.

Approaching a blank seeming wall, she raised a brow, watching as Sirius paced back and forth with a focused expression. Leaning over towards Remus, Lyra whispered. "…So, what exactly is he doing? Has he finally gone mad?"

Remus almost laughed, but shook his head with a smile, then pointed for her to watch. The young girl rolled her eyes, but did as instructed and watched, nearly dumbstruck by the sight that greeted her. A large door had appeared right where Sirius had been pacing back and forth, and she could hear talking coming from it as it was opened. Within the room it was open and brightly lit, and there were cushions all over the floor, along with magical instruments playing. In the room were James, Peter, Lily, all sitting around what appeared to be a large basket of food. An indoor picnic seemed to be the plan, more than likely due to the downpour outside.

"Bloody brilliant…." She murmured softly as she strode into the room ahead of the boys, looking around, studying the different things in the room. Taking a seat next to Lily she laughed some, shaking her head. "They got you too, then?"

The young red head girl chuckled, and then nodded her head with a shrug. "They were rather convincing, besides, lunch in a secret place. Who can pass that up? Well, anyone with a good sense of adventure anyway," she added with a laugh, then hugged her friend before whispering softly into her ear. "Which one invited you? James invited me."

Lyra couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Of course James asked her, though they were moving faster than they had in her reality's past. That was more than likely due to her interference in the world here. Clearing her throat, she blushed a bit. "Sirius, but Remus was with him….and I just couldn't say no. I mean….Remus looked adorable," she whispered back to her friend, blushing rather brightly now.

Lily almost squealed, but held back due to the present company. Looking up at the boys she smiled sweetly. "Remus, won't you come sit with Lyra and I? We can discuss a bit about Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lyra and you are so good at it…" she trailed off, smiling sweetly, though Lyra looked at the girl as if she wanted to kill her.

Both of the guys glanced between each other, Sirius almost looking jealous, but nodded his head with a shrug. If they were going to talk about school work, he didn't want any part of it. Remus had him trying to study too much anyway. His excuse was always he was allergic to school work, that or he had to find a way to impress De'Larsha. That was proving to be difficult after all.

After his friend gave the go ahead, Remus walked over and sat down on the other side of Lyra with a smile. Smoothing his slightly shaggy sandy brown hair back from his face, he smiled. "Do you guys need help with it or something? It isn't that hard yet….is it?" he asked, always curious to how his friends were taking the material.

"I'm not having any problems with it. I think it's rather fascinating, what about you, Lil?" Lyra asked, looking at her friend out of the corner of her eyes, looking rather agitated, as if she'd rip her head off. James caught the look, and almost started laughing, though he wouldn't for risking Sirius noticing the look.

It wasn't often that the guys ever were competing for a specific girl's attention, and he wasn't going to point out to Sirius that Remus was about to become his competition. He was lucky himself that none of his mates were interested in Lily; he would probably become a right arse. Then again, he was sure he could convince any of them to leave her alone easily enough.

"Um, yeah. I have a question or two," Lily said, trying to keep Remus close at hand and Sirius at bay as she glanced over, seeing him start to talk to Peter. Floundering for something to ask about, Lyra started to get a bit of a smug expression as she reached over to the plates in the middle of their circle, and grabbed a sandwich. Taking a bite out of the ham, turkey, and cheese, she relaxed a bit; rather sure that Lily wouldn't be able to think of anything, and this slightly awkward situation of trying not to blush with Remus this close to her would be over.

"Oh, I remember now!" Lily stated triumphantly, almost causing Lyra to swallow a piece of the sandwich whole. "Grindylows, what's the easiest way to dispatch them if you come across some?" She asked, tilting her head just a tad, her eyes filling with mock curiosity. She knew the answer, but she was trying to keep the brainy guy around her friend. It would help her in the long run, she was sure of it.

The young man blinked several times, almost confused by the question. To him that was simple, and the thought that Lily didn't know that just puzzled him, but she could have been talking to Severus after all. Clearing his throat, he nodded his head as he reached for a sandwich himself, of the same kind Lyra had.

"Well, the easiest way to dispatch a Grindylow is to break their grip. If you can break their fingers or something it should work. So….a spell that either paralyzes or causes an explosion might work best," he murmured thoughtfully, then took a bite from his sandwich.

After that, the conversation slowly dissolved into Quidditch talk as well as into the different pranks they might pull later. All the while Sirius kept looking at Lyra and Remus, and she kept looking at the two of them. Remus was rather distracted with a book he had brought with him, which was something very typical for him to do. Once lunch was over, they made plans to meet up later, and then they went their separate ways to prepare for the next day of classes.


	9. Christmas Surprise

Time sped by for the gang, providing time for pranks that never once touched Severus while Lyra was along, and she got onto the boys, dueling with them if they dared to hurt her friend. Things were finally getting perfect near winter vacation. Lyra had nowhere to go though, and she'd be staying at Hogwarts. Severus was going back home, much to his displeasure, and Lily was as well so she could spend some time with Sev. James was supposed to be leaving with Sirius as well, leaving her with Remus and Peter, if they stayed at all. The winter holidays were looking more and more uneventful the more she thought on them. Everyone was starting to leave, and she'd said her goodbyes to Regulus and Severus, hugging Sev and merely giving a two fingered wave to Regulus, the boy still didn't seem to like her much.

Moving to the great hall with her kitten following after her, weaving between her legs, she almost laughed. Looking almost tired and discontent, she ignored the odd look she was getting from Malfoy. The fact that she knew the man in the future to be a bit of a right arse, she didn't want to get too close to him here. That would just offer even more confusion, and the last thing she needed was for him to figure out what she was up to in the future.

Upon opening the door to the great hall to walk through, she was greeted with a wonderful sight. All four of the Marauders were standing there in front of her, and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around all four of them with a joyous laugh. Nearly knocking them back a few steps, they hugged her back, enveloping her into a large group hug.

"You guys didn't have to stay here for me….thank you," she said softly, looking up at them with a completely joyous expression, captured in the gratefulness that they'd stand by her. Considering how her sister and her had treated others back in her original time, she didn't think she deserved such kindness, and it nearly brought tears to her eyes. Luckily there weren't too many people in the Great Hall this morning, most of them taking the opportunity of the holidays to get assignments done, to sleep in, or to just leave the school all together. Usually she was one of the ones that left, staying behind was something new and exciting to experience.

The first to speak up though, was James. "Oh, it's fine. Sirius and I have had a few Christmases at my house, not many here. I think that should change, especially since three of us would have been here anymore," he joked, ruffling the young Slytherin's hair.

Almost taking a bite at his hand, she laughed, and disentangled herself from them, stretching up onto the balls of her feet in her shoes. Looking at their smiling faces, she shook her head with a chuckle. "So, whose table do we sit at?" She asked, raising a brow with a smirk. They always joked about breaking the norm and having them sit at different tables, hell, they'd even joked about sitting at the Hufflepuff table just because it would be amusing for all of them.

"Well, I think since all but one of us are Gryffindors, you should join us at the lion's table," Sirius said, puffing out his chest and looking proud as punch. James just rolled his eyes in response and Remus looked almost tired, shaking his head with a slight smile. These comments weren't something that was uncommon, and with how often she was starting to hear them, Lyra could understand how they could get tired or old.

"That….seems fair….," mumble Peter as he shifted from one foot to another, causing Lyra to look at him with a kind smile. The slightly pudgy boy was sweet, and so very shy. In a way, if Lyra had a little brother, she would have wanted him somewhat like Peter, with a sprinkling of James in there as well.

"Oh don't you dare outnumber me," she scolded them, before she sighed, shaking her head before she nervously looked at the Slytherin table and then over at the Gryffindor table. Studying the few people at both, she let out a very slow breath. "….You ever tell people I agreed to this without cursing one of you…..you'll be cursed," she mumbled before she headed towards the table ahead of them.

Remus blinked a few times but smiled and started after her with Peter while James and Sirius stared after her with a pure unhindered look of shock on their faces. Normally Lyra would argue with them more, but she couldn't. They had already gotten her an amazing Christmas present in being here with her for holiday. Sitting at the table she glanced up at the staff table and didn't meet Dumbledore's eyes as she glanced down at the table and started making a plate, Remus sitting down on one side of her.

Before Peter could take the seat on her left, Sirius rushed over and sat down next to her. Glancing up at Peter, he smiled apologetically and then started to lightly prod at her shoulder. "….You aren't arguing…..who are you?" He exclaimed in an overdramatic fashion, almost making Lyra spray out a stream of juice before she covered her mouth.

"Jeeze, Pads, don't make her drown in her breakfast," James chastised as Remus tried not to laugh, but then finally failed, especially when Lyra started laughing once her air way was clear.

As usual, Padfoot was becoming the butt of every joke. Glancing over at him, Lyra carefully pushed the strands of dark hair from her face, keeping a very serious expression. Resting her chin on her right hand, she just looked at him, and then leaned forward, her eyes never leaving his. "I do believe…..I'm your challenge," She said, her Irish accent making her voice sound more smooth as she sunk into a lower tone, then pulled away before Sirius could lean forward and try and kiss her.

After breakfast, they took off to start taking care of stuff, and started to plan what they would do for Christmas, but the boys had something up their sleeves. True, without Lily on campus it would make this a little more difficult than they wanted it, but they'd make this work. The few days before Christmas passed, and Lyra had gone out into the hall very early in the morning to see if she could see the guys anywhere. They told her to meet them on the seventh floor corridor near the Gryffindor painting before four in the morning, something that really was frustrating her. She had presents from Snape and Lily that she'd opened, stuff for potions, a sneakscope, and a few other little do-dads, but she had her bag with presents for the guys in it.

Now she was waiting, rather impatiently at that, for one of the guys to show up and to tell her where the hell they were going at four in the damn morning. Oh, she was not amused, despite the fact she wanted to see their expressions that they made when they opened up their presents. Finally starting to relax, almost to the point of falling asleep standing up, she didn't hear the footsteps that slowly started to come up from in front of her, and circled around behind her.

The next moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped and spun around, her wand out and at the read to curse. Before any sound left her mouths, familiar laughter left the empty space and the cloak was moved off of her friend in favor of showing James there with a grin on his face and offering her his hand.

"Come on you sneaky Slytherin. You're going to go where no Slytherin has ever treed," He whispered, pulling her close before throwing the cloak over both of them. Making sure that she wasn't about to curse him, he started leading her towards the portrait, where Wormtail was waiting nervously to let them back into the common room.

Once she was inside, she saw a rather tussled looking Sirius lounging on one of the arm chairs, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a thin tank top. Looking at him she almost blushed, but seeing Remus all tired eyed near the fire with his sandy brown hair ruffled and calm made her actually blush. Coming out from under the cloak, she wiggled her fingers in greeting, moving her bag down onto a foot stool in the center of the several chairs, close to the fire.

"Happy Christmas, mates. I got ya presents," she said cheerfully, getting a smile from both guys in question. All of them gathered round and she opened her bag, tossing the wrapped gifts to each guy in turn, and they returned to her a wrapped gift of their own.

Glancing at Sirius' nervously, Remus chuckled and patted her shoulder lightly. "Don't worry, Ly, it's nothing bad," he comforted her, and then hesitated before kissing the top of her head. If she wasn't blushing before, she blushed a bit more now, and bowed her head to focus on unwrapping her gifts.

Unwrapping the gift from James first, she found a small silver locket, opening it, she found a small moving picture of them laughing out by the lake and pushing at each other. The image there almost brought tears to her eyes, and when she looked up at him to see him pulling on his new Quidditch gloves with his name stitched into them by hand, she smiled. The both of them shared a smile, and he gave a nod of his head. They'd bonded over the few months she was here, and it meant the world to them both that the other had put so much thought into the other's gift.

Moving onto the next gift from Wormtail, she unwrapped it carefully, expecting it to be something food related. She was right. It was an assortment of sweets from Honeydukes as well as three sickles. Knowing that his family wasn't the most stable, she smiled, and looked over at him, a bright smile on her lips. She'd gotten him chocolates and a galleon. It was better than anything she could have honestly thought up. They weren't as close as the others, but they still got along rather well.

Next she went on to Remus' gift, opening it, finding a small box of chocolates, as well as a very well decorated journal. In the inside cover was an inscription in his hand writing, telling her about how this journal was magically protected to hold everything she wrote, and no one could decipher it without the code that she could set. It was very much like the map that the guys had shown her, and she couldn't help but lean over and kiss his temple lightly. It was a thoughtful gift, and she popped a gummy butterfly from Peter's package into her mouth, chewing on the wriggling sweet.

Honestly she had gotten Remus a similar journal, as well as a book that would help organize his studying. He tried to keep everything organized, and it was more to tease him than anything. The look she got from him was a playful glare, and then he rolled his eyes at her and continued going through his pile of gifts from home. James had finished opening his and was going to bring warm cider and food from the house elves over to them all. The last gift that she had been worried about opening was now in her lap, and it was smaller than she might have guessed.

His package from her was larger, holding a few records from Muggle bands she happened to like from this era. Knowing about his rebellions from his brother, she knew that those little bits of Muggle treasure might make him feel better. Taking in a deep breath, she started to unwrap his small gift, and almost gasped in shock. Within the wrapped parcel was a small silver comb for her hair to hold it back, and on it were four small green emeralds. Each emerald had a symbol meeting the other's nickname, and as she was struck dumb by the sight of it, Sirius slowly started to lean in. Remus watched with something a keen to dread in his gaze as he watched one of his best mates starts to lean towards the fiery Slytherin, but he didn't have to worry.

Right before Sirius could get to him; Lyra jumped up and darted over to where James was, showing off the small little comb. Cooing about it, she was clearly happy with it as she used it to pin her hair back, but heard the thunk of Sirius hitting the floor behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she blinked a few times, and was greeted by Remus' howling laughter, causing him to almost topple over onto his side.

Holding back a laugh, she helps James take the food and the drinks over to their friends, and they tell stories of their own holidays before. Listening to them, she feels the bond between all of them deepen, proving to be a bit of a dilemma for her. If she never went back, then that would be fine, she was with people she cared about now, but if she went back to her own time, how could she not want to help them in whatever way she possibly could? Especially the last two of them alive.

The rest of the year continued with all of them growing closer, and even the guys starting to tolerate having Severus around as long as Lily and Lyra were there to help buffer it. Exams went without any hitch or tug, and all of them were content, even as they packed their bags to leave. Dumbledore told her to get on the train as if she were going to leave, and she could just ride it back to the castle if time didn't snatch her back up. Apparently the old wizard thought that it would, but part of Lyra really hoped that it didn't.

Sitting in the compartment with everyone, there were laughs shared and just stories shared amongst themselves. Finally reaching Platform 9 ¾ , the others started to file off, but Lyra grabbed both Remus and Sirius, looking at either one of them, trying to study their faces. By the way that they were looking at her, it was clear that her grab of both of their wrists had been unexpected. Dressed in Muggle attire from the time period, she glanced between both of them, and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to miss you both….very much…..I might not be back this year but…." She trailed off, then leaned forward and planted a kiss on both of their lips, a smile curving her own. "….Remember me." She said very softly, then turned on her heel and high tailed it in the opposite direction.

Feeling that familiar tugging and dizzy feeling in her gut, she knew the exact moment when time itself grabbed her and sent her swirling through a vortex. Falling in the Slytherin Common room, she winced and started to rub at the back of her head. Looking at the clock it was close to ten or eleven at night, hell, she couldn't tell at the moment. Her head was spinning. The calendar showed she was in the right time period though, kinda. She was at the first day of her fourth year apparently. Great. No break for her. Sending her cat with a message in it's collar to Dumbledore so he would know she returned and would possibly get her the books she needed for class, she heard a door slam open and went completely still as she stared at the girl before her.

The girl was about her height, which was saying something since they both had grown. The young woman's hair was a light brown, and a mess around her face, possibly because she had to have just taken it down. Dressed comfortably for the night it would seem, the young woman's blue/gold colored optics were focused on Lyra as if she were seeing a ghost, the optics widening before she pointed at her.

"You!" She exclaimed and rushed over to her, hugging her for a moment before she pulled back and looked at her sternly. "Lyra De'Larsha! Where in the name have Merlin have you been? You don't write, you don't converse through the Floo Network, how did you expect any of to trust that old fool in the tower that you were safe?" She exclaimed almost violently, and shook her head. "I expect you to tell us everything after this."

Holding back a laugh, Lyra just smiled slowly, shaking her head just a tad, a sigh leaving her lips. "I can't. It's classified," she murmured lightly, starting to walk towards the private room that she knew she'd still have thanks to Professor Dumbledore trying to keep it so her powers were a secret. As she walked towards the room though, she could hear Kimmy's exclaimations as she went.

"What? Classified? Oh…..I will get this out of you, Lyra!"The woman cried, about to follow after her before the door to the private room closed behind her.

Lyra leaned in against the closed door and locked it, her eyes falling closed as her fingers rubbed lightly at her temples. Oh…..she was in deep trouble now.


	10. The Break Down

Lyra was barely able to pay attention during potions class, and that was odd for her, considering she normally loved her God Father's class. With everything he'd told her about what happened here last year, it almost had her crying. All the things that had happened to her new/old group of friends from the year before seemed horrible. Adding the finishing touches to her potion, she leaned against Draco just a bit, needing support from the spoiled prat for once. It was hard to keep her face blank these days, having gotten too used to letting herself show all of her emotions.

The young Slytherin boy just looked at her with a bit of a confused expression, as if her being this close was odd. The young girl looked up, and her eyes narrowed at his expression.

"Shut it, Malfoy," she nearly growled before she sat back up properly, getting odd looks from Blaise and Kimmy. Stirring her cauldron carefully, she shook her head, a few dark locks falling into her face. It was getting to the point that she just needed her break down, or something inside of her mind and heart could shatter.

Once the potion was finished, she got a vial of it, and walked up to Snape's desk, putting it in the vial holder with a very slight smile. The man at the desk looked up, and nodded his head slightly. "Very good, Ms. De'Larsha. You may leave now," he said before looking back to the papers on his desk.

Rather than leave, she took a seat next to his desk and crossed one leg over the other, flicking her wand so all of her supplies started to pack and clean themselves up. Closing her eyes, she listened to the noises of the potion's classroom. People were starting to pack up and put their potions away, and Kimmy was the first one after her to finish. The girl walked over to her, and very slowly, Lyra opened her pale blue eyes to glance up at her fellow Slytherin, arching a brow in inquiry.

"Studying in about an hour in the library, right? Over Charms, not like you need it," she said the last bit in her affectionate sarcastic manner. Everyone that knew Lyra knew that she despised charms, at least the ones they were learning lately.

A chuckle left her lips and she nodded her head in silence. Before Kimmy could comment on the silence though, the black haired girl cleared her throat a bit and finally spoke.

"I'll be there, Kimmy. No worries. I just have to talk to my God Father for a bit before I meet up with you. More things about when I left," she said lightly and shrugged her shoulders. Part of her hoped that Kimmy would listen, because then the secrecy could end, and part of her hoped she never would. It was hard to think that anyone could ever understand what she was going through. Having a double life was one thing, but having that double life in two completely different time periods had to be new somewhere, if not just new all together.

The brunette nodded her head before she went and gathered her things, appearing to have slipped out of the dungeon classroom. As the rest of the class started to file out, Lyra stood up and walked towards Snape's office. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him glance up, and let out a sigh of mild agitation. The appearances that the two of them had to keep up were something he was used to, but Lyra was readjusting, and this scenario just seemed as if she might plead for better grades. Then again, Lyra was an exceptional potion maker, not as good as Kimmy by a long shot, but still, exceptional.

Before Lyra reached the door to the office, a kitten darted over and started weaving around her legs and mewling for attention. Scooping up the small little kitten, she walked into the office with her head held high, before she let herself sink into a seat. Leaning over, her hair dropped into her face as she took in a deep breath. All of this was starting to tear at her, and before Snape even made it into the office, a few tears rolled down the girl's cheeks. Tears were so uncommon to her, that the fact she had cried twice in the span of a few weeks was odd indeed. The icy heart that she once prized herself in possessing, was slowly melting due to the warmth it was being shown.

As soon as the door was closed she looked up, a few tears already on her pale cheeks as she smiled weakly at her God Father. "…..I need to talk to you…..I have to share….to have a break down…..or I won't be able to function anymore….it's too much to bear alone," she said quietly, sniffling just a bit as she did so.

With a loud sigh, the Potions Master moved around to sit at his desk, procuring a box of tissues to put on the desk between them. Tears were something that Snape was not accustomed or used to dealing with. If this was anyone but Lyra he more than likely would have sneered and pointed out the tears as a sign of weakness. Thinking back to his own past though, he shuddered. Tears, however annoying and bothersome they could be, were not a show of weakness. On the contrary, they were a sign you were still strong enough to feel.

Giving a very curt nod, he leaned back into his chair. "Then go ahead, Ly let out whatever you need to let out," he said calmly, moving a bit of his hair out of his face.

Needing no further prompting, she shook her head and started to tug lightly on a dark strand of her hair. "….It isn't fair, Uncle Sev, it isn't fair at all. Lily and James didn't deserve what happened….they were so kind and sweet. They were loyal and brave and just wanted to protect their son….their family…..and poor Remus….poor poor Remus. He's judged so harshly on what he is, it isn't his fault, it's all Greyback's fault!" she exclaimed, her voice rising as tears rolled down her face. Taking a tissue she held it in her hand, but didn't use it just yet. It would be in vain, knowing that more tears were going to pour down her face before long. She was starting to get to the heart of the problem, her heart. "….And to be run off, out of the only job that he was accepted, where he excelled according to all the things I heard, only because of the fact that he's a werewolf. So what he's a werewolf!" She nearly shouted, getting up to pace throughout the room.

Severus Snape was struck dumb by the small girl that was defending the friends she had made on that trip to the past. He couldn't believe it. Part of him could even know where she was coming from. She had made his third year more bearable if he looked back to how she altered it in his memory. The years after were still tainted with the hatred he had for them though, and before he could open his mouth to voice that disdain, she started talking once again.

"And then Sirius…..he was framed! He was framed, he didn't do it, and he would never have betrayed James or Lily, ever. Never! Yes he was a jerk at times and full of himself, but he was kind. He just acted out, I think, to get the attention he wanted…..and Peter….," she trailed off, her eyes growing cold as she shook her head, hands curling into fists that caused her nails to dig into the flesh of her hands. Trying to keep calm so she didn't scream this last bit was difficult, considering after what she found out, that the cute little boy she thought was so sweet and loyal, was nothing but what his animagus form was. A rat.

The more she thought, the more she trembled from anger. Wiping the tears from her face, her voice sounded almost like a hiss. "….He betrayed them….he'sss the reassson that Jamesss and Lily died…..he isss nothing but a rat!" She snarled, clearly having to work at not falling into Parseltongue at the moment. It was taking all of her self control. Fidgeting where she stood, she almost started pacing in the office again. Looking at the door, she contemplated leaving right that moment, but then looked back at her God Father. That was only part of the problem, all of these emotions. Choice was her other problem. Choice was something she wished she didn't have at the moment, she wished she had someone telling her what she had to do, or could not do at all.

"….What am I supposed to do? How can I choose between my friends and my family? Syrie needs me….but Remus…..Sirius…..Lily….James…." she trails off, and sinks back down into the chair completely. Lightly tugging at her hair, she started to cry openly. Curling up in the chair, she trembled in a mix of confusion, rage, and sorrow. In this time period, she was too late for two people on her list, but the other two could still be helped.

Outside of the room however, the brunette potions expert was leaning in against the door. Her bag was over her shoulder and she had her ear pressed to the door. At first she thought she had understood what Lyra was talking about, but now she was completely confused. How could her best friend ever have known those people? If she had been in Hogwarts last year, she would have believed it, but now? The curiosity that kept welling up inside of her was just starting to overflow, and it took her own self control not to barge into her Head of House's office to try and get them both to tell her what in the name of Merlin was going on. Not like they'd tell, though…..now that she thought on it.

Quickly and silently, Kimmy started to gather the ingredients that she would need to make the truth serum, which was the only conceivable way she could ever get straight answers out of Lyra at this rate. If she was lucky that was. The few times she had tried to do so when her curiosity was merely a mild one, she kept getting her at the wrong times. That or she'd get it in a drink, only to have the person not take a single sip from it. That's how it worked though; it was about timing and stealth, to things that Kimmy was glad she was good at.

Finally, Lyra wiped away the last of her tears and shook her head, taking in a few deep breaths. "….Thank you. I just…." She trailed off once again and Snape gave a small smile, before he got up and walked around to his god daughter. Hugging her gently, he shook his head.

"I know…..I know how it is. If you remember….I lost Lily too," he murmured quietly, a bit of sadness creeping into his own voice as he thought about the only woman he had come to love. Clearing his throat, the composure that was normally on Severus Snape's face was back in place, and he patted her shoulder lightly. "Don't you have some studying to do with ? Go get to it, before she gets even more suspicious than she already is," he said, only half joking. Both of them knew that that woman was devious, cunning, and many of the qualities it took to be a true Slytherin at the core.

With a weak smile, she stood up and trashed the tissues she had used, grabbing her bag off the floor. Putting the light bag over her shoulder and opened the door to the office to let out her kitten ahead of her. The small cat let out a mewl, and then ran ahead of her owner and out of the door of the potions class room. Looking over her shoulder at Snape, she wiggled her fingers in a wave goodbye, and then almost ran into Kimmy.

Blinking rapidly, she raised a brow at her friend. "….Forget something, Greengrass?" She asked in her normal sharp and snarky manner, one hand moving to rest on her hip. If her eyes were not watery still, this effect might have even been enough to get her best friend off of her back for a little while.

"…Yeah. I did, ready to go study?" She asked with a kind smile, looking over at Snape before she looked back over at Lyra again, lightly tugging on her arm.

No more urging was needed, and Lyra started out of the dungeons with her friend. Rolling her shoulders she started to relax a bit, until they were out of Severus's ear shot however. Her friend glanced over at her, and raised a brow. In that moment, Lyra knew that Kimmy at least heard part of it. The young Slytherin's heartbeat escalated, and a bit of fear coursed through her. If it had been anyone but Kimmy, she might have resorted to Muggle fighting.

"…What?" Lyra asked lightly, and started fiddling with the locket around her neck. Her old Slytherin one was in a trunk back in the dormitories, the one she got from James was around her neck. No one really noticed the difference though, because no one ever looked close enough at it to ever tell.

"Why were you crying about Sirius and Remus? You didn't even meet them….or James and Lily….and Peter? Come on, Ly. Tell me something. Sirius Black is a criminal, and Peter is dead," she said sharply, crossing her arms over her chest in a "if you don't tell me I'll find out somehow" manner.

A slight twitch came to Lyra's features at that, and she looked at her friend, shaking her head. "…..Black was framed. I know it…..and Pettigrew isn't dead…..he's a vile little git, that's what he is," she almost hissed. Taking in a deep breath, she ran her hand through her hair, but then a thought came to mind, and she smirked, pulling her friend close. "….I'll make this up to you though…..I have a plan for doing something crazy. I mean psychotic crazy, illegal crazy; if we get caught we could get expelled crazy. So…you in?" She asked.

Watching as different emotions and thoughts warred for dominance in Kimmy's face; she had to hold back a laugh. A challenge at something that fun would distract her for now, but it wouldn't work forever, not for a long shot. She'd be incredibly lucky if this kept her occupied for a few hours.

The interest and curiosity finally won out for Kimmy's primary emotion. "….Alright. You hooked me. What do you have cooked up, De'Larsha?' She asked, a bit of a grin curving her lips.

"Well…we're going to become animagus'." She said confidentially, and started up the staircase ahead of her friend. Kimmy stood behind her, staring with slightly wide eyes before she took off after her.

"What?" She asked sharply, catching up to her friend as Lyra laughed. The next few weeks were going to be amusing…..and she had the feeling the truth serum threat was going to be more so in the next few weeks. Lovely. Draco was trying all her drinks before she had them.


	11. Becoming the Forbidden

Making it to the second floor, it had been a week and a half since Kimmy had almost found out about Lyra's secret. Stopping outside the second floor girl's bathroom, she leaned her ear against the door and heard arguing. A light grin started to curve the girl's lips and she shook her head. That was a sure sign that things were going as they should. Dressed in casual clothes for the weekend, a pair of Muggle jeans and a band t-shirt, as well as her robes open over that, she slipped into the bathroom.

The arguing kept getting louder, and Lyra lingered just a little outside of the main part of the bathroom so she could listen to it. A smirk was curving her lips, and she heard the familiar voice of her best friend rising in agitation.

"Myrtle, I said not to touch that! You troublesome thing. Why don't you just crawl back into your toilet and cry? I'm tired of you nearly ruining my potions!" The pure agitation in Kimmy's voice gave away that this argument had probably been going on for at least half an hour as she tried to finish the potion.

"….You're…..so mean to me! First y-you use my bathroom for your illegal activity…then you….scream at me! Next you'll throw things at me!" Myrtle wailed as she looked at Kimmy. The soft sobbing of the ghost was growing louder, and it was actually mildly amusing to the Slytherin that was hidden behind the corner.

"Watch it, and I might just throw things at you. That…..or I'll find a way to actually exorcise you from this place, permanently you whiney specter!" Kimmy almost snarled as she shook her head.

At that, Lyra rounded the corner with a bright smile. Her appearance cut off the words that Myrtle had been about to hurl at Kimmy. Lyra dropped her bag over next to her friend, getting a hair tie out of the pocket of her robes as she pulled back her hair. Tying the locks back into a loose pony tail, she glanced around. If she listened carefully, she could still hear Kimmy grumbling about Myrtle as the young specter started to float back to her cubicle with light whiney and wailing, something that was normal of her. With things easing into a state of normalcy, a chuckle left her lips.

"What was all that about, Greengrass? She try and take a vial or two of ingredients and dump them down the sink again?" The young woman teased, sitting down on the ground next to her friend.

A soft snarl came from Kimmy's lips as she nodded her head. "That and she almost added something to this potion. Do you know what that might have done? We would have had to start this all over again, and I am not starting this all over again De'Larsha. It will be finished tonight and that lovely ghost will shut up!" The young woman snapped, looking over towards the cubicle as if she were going to re-kill the ghostly girl.

Hardly holding back a laugh, Lyra leaned back on her hands as her eyes carefully slipped closed. Letting out a very soft sigh, she tapped her foot lightly. Listening to the sounds of her friend brewing the potion was oddly relaxing. They were done with their classes today, and tomorrow was Saturday. It was time to act on what she'd been trying to do now. It would be extremely helpful, at least to her plans if she got thrown back to the time period she so adored. A small smile curved her lips at that, and her fingers started to fiddle with the locket she got from James.

"Good….I'm glad that it's nearly done. I'll end up going to our house prefect and get the password for their bathroom. Just in case something goes screwy, it will be a good thing to have water around. I mean, one of us could be unlucky enough to get a water creature. That would suck, eh?" She joked, a grin curving her lips.

The only response form Kimmy was a soft murmur of affirmative as she added the last ingredients then sighed. Tightening her hair in the tie it was in, she leaned back against the sinks, her eyes slowly closing. A small bit of relaxation finally made its way into Kimmy's face.

"There. Now we let it brew for just a few hours, and it'll be ready to drink. You really put me through the ringer with that potion, De'Larsha, but it was a challenge I gladly undertook. And see, I defeated yet another terribly hard potion. Severus Snape, eat your heart out," she joked with a smirk, but still got a rather disturbed face from Lyra.

"Oh….for the love of Merlin, please don't tell me you still have that crush on my god father. That's just creepy, Kimmy," the Slytherin heiress grumbled, shaking her head as she looked at the potion. Staring at the bubbling liquid, it was hard to believe that the pale silver liquid would end up doing to them what she was eager to experience. "Sure it'll work?"

"Oh, it'll work. Or my name isn't Kimberly Greengrass," the potion's genius said proudly, then yawned. "I'm going down to the dungeons for a nap. Come and get me in…." trailing off she glanced up at a clock that was on the wall near the bathroom door. "….about three and a half hours. I'll vial it then and we can go to the prefect's bathroom."

Without an affirmative or any sound from Lyra, Kimmy pushed herself to her feet and grabbed her bag. A yawn left Kimmy's lips as she walked towards the door, shaking her head as she left. Once the door of the bathroom was closed, Myrtle slowly started to edge back out of her cubicle.

"Don't even think about touching this potion Myrtle, or I'll let her exorcise you from this place. This is more important to me than you could possibly imagine, understood?" Lyra said as she slowly turned her head to look at the ghostly girl. Raising a brow, she almost laughed as the ghost disappeared back into her cubicle, and more than likely back into the toilet. If she was in the toilet, she wouldn't come back until this potion was long out of her bathroom. Normally things infuriated the ghost, but she didn't do anything that could upset the humans that traveled around her. Not too much at least, not enough that she could be as much as a problem as Peeves.

Thinking about how the girl died when she was alive though, a sigh left Lyra's lips. Her cousin, he always did such horrible things, even when he was a young boy. IF she could choose how far back she could go, she might have gone back and killed him when he was still in Aunt Merope's stomach. As much as that woman loved the man that got her pregnant, she would have had to end her cousin and her Aunt, and then explain why she had a Gaunt locket around her neck.

Shaking her head, she pulled her hair out of the pony tail and ran her fingers through her hair. Grumbling very lightly, she pushed herself up as she picked up her bag. She had to get that password before patrols started, and that boy owed her this favor. If he backed out, she had ways of getting him to talk.

About two hours later, she came out of the Slytherin Common room with some new knowledge in her mind and a grin curving her lips. There was still dinner to go to, then they had to slip into the prefect's bathroom with the potion. The plan was working out the way that they needed it to so far. AS she started up the stairs, she heard someone call her name and almost winced. Her twin. Lovely.

"Ly! Wait up, sissy!" The young woman called as she darted up in a flash of blonde hair, the contrast between the twins was something that shocked most people.

Plastering on her best acting, she smiled at her sister and wrapped around her in a half hug as they moved up the stairs. "Hey Syrie, what's up? Going to dinner?" She asked calmly, that smile that was reserved only for her twin on her face. There were times that she wished the acting for her twin didn't have to work, but she knew which direction Syrie would push her if she knew what she was doing.

"Yeah, I am, and I want you to sit with me. You haven't in ages, more taking meals to your room or to sit and discuss things with Greengrass, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were sneaking around," the blonde murmured, sniffing some, as if she were insulted that her twin would hide something for her.

"Oh? Does it? And what if we're sneaking because we have a surprise for you, hmm? What then?" She asked carefully, but the smirk that curved her lips seemed to pacify Syrie for the moment.

A cute smile curved the small blonde's lips. "Oh! A surprise? For me? Oh, you didn't have to, dear sister. I can't wait to see it!" Without another complaint or word, Syrie leaned up on tip toe, placed a kiss to her twin sister's cheek, then darted off ahead of her.

Relaxing a moment, Lyra rubbed at her temples and shook her head. Now she'd have to come up with something, or fake it like she owned it that she was going to have to work on this surprise all year. That would mean pulling Kimmy closer and possibly having her figure out her secret. Bullocks.

Shaking her head, she knew it couldn't be helped now, and she continued up the stairs and walked calmly over to the Great Hall. Walking through the doors, she moved smoothly over to the Slytherin table, not even sparing a glance to the Gryffindor table. Seeing Harry there was not going to help her at the moment, everyone was right, he looked exactly like James. Except for the eyes, he had Lily's lovely eyes.

Sitting down between the still drowsy Kimmy and Draco, she smiled very slightly, the cruel smile that this De'Larsha was well known for. "Report, now," she said sharply as she started to make her plate.

"Well, Potter's all jumpy still, Lyra. I mean, really, him? A champion? He won't last through the first challenge," Draco said in a rather amused tone. He was about to say more, but one look at Lyra stopped him cold.

A very icy glare was being directed at the Malfoy as she continued to put food on her plate. "I wouldn't underestimate the boy, Malfoy, or those he runs with. Did you forget that Granger resorted to Muggle fighting you once and punched you in the face?" She said coldly, then took a calm sip from her pumpkin juice.

A laugh left Kimmy's lips and she smirked, clearly amused. Looking at Draco with an almost superior smile, she turned to her best friend and cleared her throat. "The other three champions have been training like crazy, and Mad-eye has been acting….well, stranger than usual," she explained, giving a very light shrug of her shoulders. Not much of a report, but with what her and Lyra were doing tonight, she only said something to keep up appearances.

A faint smile curved Lyra's lips as she nodded, starting to eat in silence as she thought. Listening to the banter of her house mates, she felt almost as she had before her adventure third year, almost. There was a softness to her now that she couldn't shake away, a sentimentality that would not allow her to forget the kindness she had been treated with in the past. Every day since she had returned she almost prayed that she'd get taken by that lovely power of time travel and get thrown back. Screw the Tri-Wizard Tournament, what did it matter to her? The winner would get a lot of gold and eternal glory. Big deal.

Not nearly fast enough for her taste, dinner was over, at least for her and Kimmy. Getting up with a curt nod for a goodbye to her fellow Slytherins, she walked with Kimmy towards the stairs.

"You ready for this, Greengrass? There's no turning back after this." She said calmly, though amusement and excitement were starting to ebb into her normally controlled face. The only person in this school other than her God Father that she let see her like this was the girl beside her, the zany potions genius.

"Who do you think you're talking to, De'Larsha, a Hufflepuff? I'm in. You couldn't get me out now if you tried," she said with a mild eye roll. The two had been best friends since their first year, and it had turned out well for the both of them.

Without another word, and just a soft laugh from Lyra, the two went into the second floor girl's bathroom to retrieve the potion. Getting the vials out of Kimmy's bag, they filled two of them to the brim with the potion. With a larger potions bottle, Kimmy filled up the rest of it with her newly created potion. This was a potion that could prove useful in the future after all. The supplies had been hard to come by and the process of making it had gotten them to the beginning of October. Putting the cauldron in the sink, the two girls headed out of the bathroom before the spectral girl could come out of her cubicle.

Lyra smirked slowly before she took off up the stairs, leading the way towards the fifth floor. A mild shout of protest came from Kimmy, and the brunette took after the raven haired girl. The two started laughing, and once Lyra got to the fifth floor, she stuck her tongue out at Kimmy and grinned. Waiting patiently on the platform in case the staircases decided they wanted to start changing. Luckily, for the both of them, they didn't. It would have been frustrating.

Going down the hallway of the fifth floor corridor, a smile lit up her features. The two were so closed to one thing that was forbidden, forbidden and dangerous. The potion may or may not work, and if they were caught, they'd have to go through a hearing to see if they would end up in Azkaban. Going to the fourth door on the left, stopping near the portrait that was located there, she studied the door, the password forming up in her mind.

"Pine fresh," Lyra murmured lightly as she stood there. Going through the door as it opened, she looked over her shoulder at her friend with a smile. It was time. Walking through the door into the large bathroom, she flicked her wand, the facets turning on and filling up the large bath.

Looking at her friend, Kimmy had already put down the bag she had, pulling out a camera and the two vials of the Animagi potion. The young woman looked almost nervous, but there was an excitement in her gaze. The eyes that were so often glowing with joy at the fact that she was able to learn something new, were now glowing the thoughts of becoming something that no one in their year dared to try, becoming something forbidden unless they became registered. Neither of them planned to become registered after tonight though. It would take too much energy, and too much paper work. No one liked paper work, right?

Walking over to her best friend, Lyra took one of the vial and popped it open. Taking in a deep breath, she chuckled. "Bottoms up, and wish me luck," she murmured lightly as she downed the silvery liquid. The taste on her tongue caused by the potion made her make a light face. Flavoring of the potion was bitter and it stuck to the tongue. Smacking her tongue lightly to try and get the taste to wane, she shook her head with a laugh.

Kimmy rose a brow at her friend curiously, a rather amused expression on her face. There were only a few things people could say about Kimmy, and one of them was she liked to see if others could figure out things about potions that she already knew. The chances that the Slytherin knew about how the potion would taste was all in the smile that curved her lips.

"Oh, this thing tastes bitter…..though you probably knew that….blech. So, thirty minutes, if I don't change, you take your vial, agreed," she asked lightly, glancing at the water in the bath. If she wasn't a little nervous about what that water would be used for later, she might have drank from it to clear the taste.

Holding back a laugh, Kimmy nodded her head with an amused smile. Without much of a signal or sign, both girls sat down. The raven haired young woman leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes. The potion could take up to an hour to take effect, maybe shorter. It was never an exact science with this one. The science went out of potions with this one.

The time ticked by and ticked by, starting to frustrate the hell out of Lyra. Kimmy just kept going through a few potion books. The dark haired potion wiz was jotting down notes all in her potions books while she waited till it was time for her to take her potion. Really she was waiting till Lyra told her when it was time to take her bit of the potion. Kimmy couldn't be bothered….unless Snape ended up walking in randomly. Then she'd feel the need to try and prove herself…..like last year when she'd attempted to join him for tea Polyjuiced as McGonagall.

It didn't take a Ravenclaw to discover how that went. The girl was praised for her potions skills, but got detention for a week due to trying to impersonate a professor. Hearing the story upon her return had been rather amusing to her, but she felt a light tingle through her skin at the half hour mark. Frowning a bit, she gestured for Kimmy to go ahead and take her vial before she stood up and walked back and forth a few times.

The tingling continued to roll through Lyra's skin as Kimmy watched a moment before downing her own bottle. With the go ahead, the brunette could only assume that the black haired girl felt like she was about to shift, and she hoped silently that it didn't take nearly that long for her own transformation.

A moment or two later, Lyra felt as if she had shrunk down and nearly yelped at the odd sensation, and her legs spread out under her as she tried to walk. Blinking a few times, she tried to push herself up, and then fell back down, only to hear Kimmy's laughter. A snarl left her muzzle and she paused, glancing at herself in the clear water of the prefect's bathroom. Staring at the reflection of the dark furred wolf with blue eyes, a wolfish grin showed in her features. It took several more tries for her to walk around fluidly in this form, however, though once she could, she darted up and down the length of the room, letting out small yips of excitement.

"Alright, alright, I get it Ly, you like this form. Calm down before we get caught," Kimmy laughed, shaking her head at her best friend. Grabbing the camera that was next to her, she napped a picture of the wolf in front of her, the wolf that had been in mid leap, and had now knocked her back against the wall, and was licking her face.

"Lyra! Oh, I'm gonna get you for this….Crazy little Irish girl…." She grumbled, though it wasn't a completely unkind grumble, too much amusement to be had after all.

With a bark of wolfish laughter, Lyra moved back and focused on her human shape. Focusing on what she looked like, she almost got a head rush as she appeared back in her human form. Weaving a bit, a light giggle left her lips."Okay…..that's really cool," she murmured in awe before sitting down and stretching a bit, rolling her shoulders.

A snort left Kimmy, and it looked like she was about to say something before she frowned. A tingling sensation was going through the brunette Slytherin now, but rather than stand up and pull a Bambi like her friend, she stayed seated. Flexing her hands a bit, the woman looked at them before she closed her eyes, the tingling sensation almost making Kimmy violently ill before the transformation happened.

A very loud gasp left Lyra's lips, before hysterical laughter left her, sounding almost as mad as Bellatrix Lestrange. The look she received from the now golden eyed female just made her almost double over in laugher. It was almost too good to possibly ever let her live it down. When they had been discussing animals it would suck to be, this one never came up, because they never thought it would happen, let alone to a Slytherin. The more she thought about the idea, the more she knew that Kimmy was going to either kill her or flip out if she didn't stop laughing, and soon.

Picking up the camera, Lyra quickly snapped the picture, and focused back on her friend. "Uh….Kimmy….look down at your hands, and don't eat meh," she murmured, her Irish accent getting a bit thicker than usual, in part from her amusement at the situation.

Following the instructions, Kimmy's eyes widened, as much as they could in this current form, and a soft growl that sounded rather fierce came from her. Sitting where Kimmy had once been sitting was a tawny gold lioness, that would never be able to blend in anywhere in London, except maybe in a circus or a zoo. The lioness looked up at her friend and moved into a crouch, or would have, if the bottom of her chin hadn't knocked the tile. The female immediately laid down and rested her head in her paws with a soft grumbled growl.

Not laughing was proving to be a difficult feat for Lyra at the moment, and Kimmy was already focusing on her human shape, not wanting to dwell in that one for much longer. Within a few moments, Kimmy was sitting there once more. Weaving a bit, she shook out her hair, only to let out a soft groan of pain. Before Lyra could move over to help though, the brunette's head snapped up in agitation, eyes narrowed on the young Slytherin heiress.

"It had to be a bloody lion?" She exclaimed in agitation, the only response she got was a fit of laughter from her friend, causing her to smile just a bit. What was the old saying? Oh yes….be careful what you wish for. Well, she'd only wished that it would work, not that she'd be an animal that she'd be happy with.


	12. Twitchy Little Secret

A few days had passed since Lyra and Kimmy had gone on their little adventure in the Prefects' Bathroom, and now that they had practiced a bit, the shift was a little less shocking. Teasing Kimmy had become a favorite past time of Lyra's, and Kimmy couldn't help but keep trying to slip a lovely bit of truth serum into Lyra's food. Every time she tried, Lyra would catch her and scoot a little farther away from her best friend, not in fright, but in a bit of a wary respect. All the while, Syrie had been trying to get closer and closer to Lyra, following her around like they had been before third year.

In an attempt to pacify her twin sister, Lyra started to play pranks with her again, occasionally getting into detentions with them. This never seemed to be enough, however, and it always seemed that Syrie had something to say but refused to say it. It was almost like she was going to wait till Lyra asked about it, or at least attempt to wait till Lyra asked. After five days passed with this treatment, curiosity was clawing at Lyra, chewing at her from the inside.

Rather than let the curiosity consume her like it often did, she finally grumbled at the dinner table and turned to her left where her blonde twin sat beside her. Syrie just had that cute smile on her lips, playing up the fact that she looked as innocent as an angle on the surface. Most of the Slytherins knew better, and by this point, a lot of the other houses knew this as well. It was an act that she continued to keep her out of trouble however, and there were times that it actually worked.

"Alright, alright, I cave. What in the name of Merlin is going on in your head that you've wanted me to know about for five days now?" Lyra asked with a mildly agitated tone resonating in her voice.

A light giggle left Syrie and she batted her lashes at her sister cutely. "Well….I can't tell you in such a public place, dear sister…But I can tell you if you come out with me tonight, we have to look into some things," she whispered to her sister, a gleam in the young woman's violet optics.

With a very exasperated sigh, the dark haired woman merely nodded her head and looked as if she wanted to knock her head against the table before her. It was always games with her twin, always, and it was starting to drive her a little batty to be completely honest. The games that she liked to play were games of impressing the other, games of attempting to push others past their comfort zone, only to catch them if they stumbled. These were the games that her Marauders played with one another, and she missed it. It made her wonder what they thought had happened to her, and if the two mirrors she had, one for Severus at a younger age and one that connected to James' and Sirius', still even worked, or if they had been lost in time.

It didn't help to dwell on such things however, she didn't even know if she'd be able to return to the gang back then. But by Merlin she hoped she'd be able to return. It was odd being back here, dealing with the world that was left after the war. But she had a feeling, the more she looked at her twin sister's gleaming eyes, that whatever was to come was not going to be something that she liked in the least.

Finishing up their meal in what was as close to silence as their group ever got, meaning gossiping about what they could get other kids into trouble about for later, Lyra went back to the dungeons. Staying in her own room gave her a kind of peace that she could have only prayed for during this odd time in her life. Sitting on her bed with her potions books, she scribbled in it some, making notes that she'd learned from her godfather that she wouldn't have learned any other place. It was a relief, just being in a Potions book or a book about Defense Against the Dark Arts, it always reminded her that she almost ended up in Ravenclaw like her dear father. Either house would have been honored to have her, she was sure, but with her Slytherin blood, the hat had seemed almost afraid of her presence, and she couldn't blame it.

Sitting in her own privatized room for what felt like hours, she finally heard that delicate knock on her door that indicated the approach of her twin sister. Moving the sleeping cat from her lap, the creature no longer a kitten from her long year in the past with it, she stood up. Looking into the mirror, she tied back her dark hair from her face and smiled lightly. The look in her eyes was that practiced cold and calculating stare, something she was known for here, but now it was almost forced upon her face.

Pulling on her cloak and making sure her wand was tucked away, she opened the door to her twin with a slight smile. The girl before her was bouncing on her feet in a hyperactive manner, her blonde hair falling all in her face. It was very common for Syrie to get ahead of herself, and it actually pulled a slight chuckle from Lyra's lips. If it had been the old days, it might have made her actually laugh and start leading the way. Letting Syrie lead anything was one of the oddest things in the world.

"Alright….lead on, sis, curiosity is starting to eat at me," Lyra joked lightly, shaking her head with a smile curving her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes like it often didn't. After this, depending on what it was, she'd have to tell Kimmy. Greengrass wasn't your average Slytherin, or heir of Slytherin friend, she honestly thought that she only listened to their reasoning because she enjoyed their company. At least…..that's what she hoped.

"Kay-kay, Ly!" She exclaimed excitedly, still bouncing on her feet as she took her sister's hand and tugged her out of the room, leading her towards the exit to their common room. It was comforting for the blonde Slytherin when her sister didn't try and pull her hand away; it was nice to be close to her twin once again however. More and more often she was almost certain that her sister was hiding something, but maybe now she'd be more open with her.

Lyra followed her sister, both of them sneaking along the walls of the dungeons and going up the stairs. The dark haired girl was a bit better at all of this sneaking at this point, after having spent most of her time with the Marauders she was skilled at getting around the castle like she was. A very soft laugh left her lips, and her smile brightened up a bit more. For the first time in the last year, Lyra actually felt close to her twin sister, they were bonding all over again and it was something she was enjoying. Maybe if she was stuck here…..she could actually readjust and make things livable for herself.

That thought had just entered her head more completely as they stopped right in front of the DADA classroom, and she paused to glance at her sister. "….Syrie….why are we visiting Professor Moody?" She asked softly, and was only met by a rather demented looking grin from her usual innocent looking sister. Oh….this wasn't good.

Rather than tense up and look like she had something to fear, her arms smoothly crossed over her chest and she raised a brow. The curious look was only met with Syrie knocking a light pattern against the door, it almost echoing down the empty corridor. That knocking made her even jumpier than that grin, and she looked up and down the corridor, half hoping that there was a prefect somewhere that they'd have to hide from. No such luck.

"Come in, Ms. De'Larsha," a voice said from behind the door that did not sound like the gruff and distant Auror that was their teacher. It sounded like it had a bit of….mania to it. Goose bumps raised on her flesh as she glanced at her twin, who had already opened the door.

Within the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room, there was a figure sitting at the front desk, though it was a lot scrawnier, thinner, than Moody's own form was. Walking into the room, her sister closed the door behind them, and leaned against it as Lyra slowly moved to stand in front of the desk. The hair on the man's head was the color of straw and looked almost a brittle, like the hair hadn't been taken care of. The man's skin was very pale, and he seemed to have a bit of a nervous tick, though it didn't seem to happen because of nerves. There was a grin curving his lips, and she remembered his face from old Daily Prophets that still littered a room in their house. Her father had never wanted to forget the things that had happened in the world after the War after all, and now she could only stare in shock.

"…Barty Crouch Junior…..but….they said you died," Lyra murmured in shock, and tried to keep the horror out of her face. Dear Merlin, she had a feeling she knew where this was going. Barty had been more loyal than most of the Death Eaters….and he was free, and in Hogwarts. Why was Harry still alive with this man wandering through the castle?

"A very clever switch, Ms. Lyra, heiress of Slytherin, and more plotting has taken place. I've already explained everything to your dear sister, should I tell you as well? Or do you have…..conflicting interests…." he said with a slight twitch, her twin sister having approached her from behind, her hands lightly resting on her dark haired counterpart's shoulders.

Closing her eyes for a moment, a cold laugh left Lyra's lips as she fell back into that old fact of life. Trust no one, and strive for power. Opening her eyes, she focused on Barty and lightly patted one of her sister's hands. "Tell me, Crouch, or I may have to drag it out of you. I have to know what's going on with my dear cousin after all," she drawled out, a dark grin curving her lips. After acting like this for years, falling back into the habit was simple, though she could feel a small part of her crawl to the back of her mind and curl up in shame for what she was doing now.

A chuckle left Barty's lips and he nodded his head with one of those manic grins curving his lips."Good…..He's coming back, Ms. Lyra, sooner than you think….I won't tell you how….not yet….you'll get to see it. You and your sister….But this was a test….to see if you were still loyal to the noble cause of your great cousin," he babbled, his eyes darting between the two heiresses of Slytherin. It was clear that he was almost as obsessed with them already, as with their cousin. They were extensions off of that grand family, of that grand goal. That was how they were seen.

The realization that she couldn't tell Kimmy any of this, like everything else in her life lately, hit her like a ton of bricks. Showing no outward sign of the distress however, she gave a nod of her head. "Of course I would remain loyal to my honorable family," she said slowly, her voice slowly getting a bit colder. "It would be in your best interests for both of you to remember that," she almost snarled as she pulled away from her sister and started for the door, though hesitated for one moment. "….Keep me informed of when the time of his resurrection is close at hand. I want to be prepared to meet my cousin with open arms," she said before she opened the door.

Rather than be stopped by either of them, Syrie rushed after her sister, and as the door to the class room closed, Syrie had her arms wrapped around her dark haired counterpart. "Ly! Please don't be angry…..you just don't talk to me anymore….I had to know….and that was the best way. Lyra….please don't be angry," she said once again, her voice soft and hurt, back to that innocent behavior that was so distinctly Syrie that it was starting to make Lyra feel ill.

"…Don't test me Syrie….I've been through more than I could ever tell you…remember that," she said sharply, hugging her sister back before she made her way back to the dungeons, dodging prefects as she went. They both had classes come morning, but she had a feeling that her blonde counterpart would go back and talk to the Death Eater that was helping to restore her hero….her obsession rivaling that of Bellatrix Lestrange's.

Going back into her dormitory, she closed the door and locked it behind her. Looking at her bed, her black cat was curled up on her spare pillow, fast asleep. Before she went to get ready for bed, she looked into the mirror that was in the room, and stopped dead in her tracks. The cold expression that was on her face made her expression give way to one of shock, her fingers reaching up to lightly touch beneath her eyes. What was she doing? Why wasn't she running to Dumbledore's office to tell him what was going on with Moody/Crouch? Most of all…..why had she said she would always be loyal to her family.

Holding back tears at her own confused mind and the emotional turmoil that rolled through her, she quickly took off the silver locket she had received from James last Christmas. With Christmas fast approaching again….she didn't see the point of wearing the object that had been a sign of how connected she was becoming to other people. She'd stepped back into her old ways, and she doubted she'd be able to dig herself up out of it without a drastic change of pace. Putting back on her old Slytherin locket, she tucked the one she got from James into the small jewelry box she had a charm on. If she went back in time, the locket would come with her; if she didn't….it'd probably stay in the box.

Getting ready for bed she closed the door in her mind to the past, realizing she had to forget that year. If she ever went back there, she could finally be open with people again, playful, mischievous, ambitious, and the things that almost made her part of the other houses. Now….she had to be the heiress of Slytherin she was….she couldn't run from herself after all.


	13. Plan Unfolded

Warning! This Chapter is kinda filler, it's getting me to the next point. You could probably skim through this one. It's getting me from point A to point B however. Just bare with me guys. Thanks!

With Christmas so close at hand, the Yule ball had pretty much been guaranteed thanks to the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and it meant that Lyra would have to go, for appearances sake. Never could she be out of a very social occasion, even if it was one such as this. Stuck with Malfoy as her sister was stuck with Zabini, it felt like a small form of torture, though that was what being part of this family had in store for her. To be a pure blood family worth anything, you had to be seen around other pure bloods, and sometimes let yourself be pushed towards arranged marriages, like with Malfoy.

Looking at herself in the mirror, a sigh left her lips. The dress she was in was emerald green, making her skin seem even more fair than it normally was, her nails painted as well to match the dress. Muggle make-up accented her eyes a bit, and her black hair was in an elegant braid down her back, the Slytherin locket around her neck, her fingers lightly brushing over it. The face in the mirror was someone that she didn't want to see there, but rather than refuse to go to the ball, she seemed to have submitted herself to the fact that this was her life, that she'd be fated to marry the stupid ferret, and have more pure bloods in a world that would bleed red before her part was done.

Her pet cat just looked up at the young Slytherin heiress and let out a soft mew that sounded almost sad. Lyra's blue eyes found the cat, and she laughed softly, leaning over to lightly pet at the cat. "….I know sweet heart…..you miss playing with Lucifer….I miss picking on Reg," she murmured lightly, a slightly amused tone in her voice before she sighed and went to the door.

Standing in front of her door was Kimmy Greengrass, in a more electric green color, making Lyra blink before she chuckled. "Well, even without a date, you'll make a splash, Greengrass….and you can feel free to steal mine for awhile," she joked lightly, hearing a grumble from the common room that was no doubt her disgruntled date.

"That's fine, De'Larsha. I'd rather not dance with the little ferret," she joked, and actually smiled more when she got a chuckle out of Lyra.

As of late, ever since Lyra went on that late night trip with her twin, she'd been quieter. Most of her stealth missions were solo, and only to go and sit out by the lake to think before she'd quickly slip back to the dungeons before anyone would notice she was missing. It was rare that she laughed anymore, she had tried to shove the softer emotions she had been feeling for people away, and now was no different.

"I can understand that, "Lyra muttered with a smile, shaking her head before she went into the common room, looking at her date. The only thing she could really say was that he looked nice, he cleaned up well, but it wasn't what she wanted to see waiting for her. Then again, she didn't know what she wanted to see waiting for her.

"Come on, Malfoy. We'll be late for the ball, and I want to show up some of the girls," she murmured, keeping that confidence to her tone.

The answering smirk was enough for her to realize that Malfoy actually got the better part of this deal. He got to appear with an heiress of Slytherin on his arm, and she got to appear with someone who made it rich because his daddy was good at covering things up and good at manipulating Ministry of Magic officials. Sadly, it would have to do. There weren't any other boys that would have been bold enough to ask her, not in this time period. Or the ones bold enough to ask her wouldn't have because here she had a reputation as a heartless bitch. Hurray for her.

The opening ceremony for the ball was as she had expected it to be, interesting due to the fact Granger was with Krum, but otherwise it was rather dull. Watching Potter get tugged around on the dance floor for the first dance was interesting, which made it a pity that his date hadn't dragged him out onto the dance floor more often during the night. She'd danced with Draco a few times, mainly to keep up appearances, just as Syrie had done with Zabini, who was the one that would occasionally dance with Greengrass.

The dance on its own wasn't all that eventful, however, and when she saw the headmaster of the Bulgarian school walk outside with Snape in tow, and Potter had disappeared earlier as well. She could only guess at what was going on for now, but rather than go and investigate now, she went and sat down at a table.

"Draco….get me some punch?" She asked, glancing up at him as she started to unbraid her long black hair, watching as he nodded and went to fetch what he was told. Looking back to the dance floor she watched Syrie get spun around by Zabini and couldn't help but smile a bit more with a chuckle. Syrie was a good actress at times, and now was one of those times. The young heiress looked genuinely happy to be spun around by Zabini, even with the music still blaring. Only a few people had lingered this long, and the only reason she had was because she wasn't ready to go back to the dungeons.

When Draco returned she gave a slight smile and a nod of her head in acknowledgement before she took a sip from the cup, leaning back in her chair as she shook out her hair some. The dark locks fell down her back, and her pale blue eyes scanned over the room, searching to see who all was there. Greengrass had gone investigating after Potter, and it made her realize that soon she'd know what she knew from the pretender himself….who was pretending to be drunk(or might have actually been drunk?) over on a bench near the corner of the room. The plan would be acted out soon, after all, and he'd explain to her what needed to be done for all of his grand schemes to fall into place. The same feeling of utter revulsion didn't turn her stomach like it used to.

Getting up, she whispered to Draco that she was leaving, and he looked a little agitated before a soft yawn left her lips, which she covered with the back of her hand. Rather than argue or look upset then, he stood up and lightly kissed her cheek before he went to go talk to his two lackeys. Glad to have escaped a fight, Lyra started for the door, only to have "Moody" stumble into her, lightly grabbing her arm, looking as if he were trying to steady himself. Before she could yank away, he leaned down, still looking as if he were drunk so he could whisper something into her ear.

"After the third task….port key will be given to both of you….," he whispered in that raspy way that "Moody's" vocal cords worked. Once again, before she could do anything, he stumbled back to a seat in the Great Hall, leaving Lyra to stand there a moment before she shook her head and quickly left the hall.

Dread started to wrap around the dark haired young woman, and she took in a few deep breaths, her fingers playing at the Slytherin locket around her neck. Oh….she could do this, she was sure of it. If she couldn't….well, that wasn't a choice. The Death Eaters in a way were her extended family, they'd known her mother and they knew her father. The ones that were free would rally if all of this worked and her sister and herself would be seen as princesses of the new order in a way. So….why wasn't she happier at the thought? Shoving those thoughts of doubt away she smiled a bit and decended into the dungeons, she had a few outfits to go through to see what would be best to wear beneath her cloak to this great gathering. A De'Larsha always had to look her best after all.


	14. The Real New Beginning

The evening of the last task had finally arrived, and two Slytherin girls stood behind the bleachers that had formally been the Quidditch Pitch, cloaks around their slender forms. Both girls were fifteen, in fourth year, and looked quite alike except for their hair color and eye color. The twins of Slytherin had yet another difference this evening, however. Syrie had a gleeful expression, very excited about what was about to happen while Lyra's expression looked dull and dead, almost as if she was only here because she was expected to be.

Both girls were in skirts, black and green ones and heels, the cloaks able to close completely around them if necessary. As the cannons blasted to allow people to start going into the maze, they listened carefully. There was to be a slight signal from "Mad-Eye" to when they were supposed to use the port key that rested in Syrie's gloved hand. They'd taken the precaution of gloves so that neither of them would end up transported to the grave yard before they were meant to.

The horrendous waiting seemed to go on for years to Lyra, her fingers fiddling and tapping on her leg. The mask that was on the top of the hood she wore was something she'd have to pull down soon, and she dreaded what was going to happen. Pushing all thoughts of the unpleasantness aside she tried to think of pleasant thoughts of how this would turn out. Her family would finally be whole again, except for her mother, and she'd get an acceptable husband, someone she could hold her head high with…sort of. A sigh left her lips, and her twin beside her thought it was from the waiting itself.

"Sissy, it's okay. Things will be as they're supposed to be soon, we just have to be patient," she murmured in her sweet and almost childlike voice as she half hugged her sister with the arm that wasn't holding the port key.

A slight smile lifted up Lyra's lips and she nodded her head. "I know….I know, Syrie," she murmured and lightly kissed her sister's temple before she disentangled herself from her younger twin. Listening carefully she heard the slight signal that they were supposed to from "Mad-Eye" and she smiled slightly, removing both of her gloves and tucking them into her cloak. Pulling the cloak more tightly around herself and fastening it so it hid her clothing and everything but her face and hands she took in a slow breath. "It's time."

Syrie was already ahead of her, having pulled off her glove and pulled the mask from her cloak down over her face. Reaching over, the blonde Slytherin did the same for her dark haired twin, making sure the Death Eater mask covered both of their faces completely. "Alright, on the count of three we grab it. One….two…..," she paused a moment and looked at her sister.

"Three!" They said in unison and took a hold of the gem that was acting as their port key and within just a few moments they were standing in the graveyard. Cedric's body was nearby and it almost stole a gasp from Lyra, though her eyes moved along her surroundings slowly, taking it all in as her sister put the gem down on the gravestone of the Riddles, close to where Potter was, though there was no way he knew that the object was a port key.

Clasping one hand to her twin's, Lyra's heart beat started to kick up in her chest. The man standing in the middle of the circle was not the "cousin" she remembered from pictures. His head was smooth and hairless, his eyes less pronounced, and where a nose would have been were two slits like a snake. Whatever he had done to insure that he would still be alive had easily changed the man, and it was a bit more disturbing than she had thought. There was the underlying charisma that their family was known for, but his tone was cold as he went around the circle. He pulled off masks and accused them of betraying him, forgetting him, though he'd let them continue to serve.

Their family could make an insult sound like something like mercy at times, and he was doing it now. Looking down at the injured Pettigrew she just blinked and stared at him through the mask. He hadn't noticed her, and he wouldn't if she was careful, though she couldn't believe he was there. Hearing that he was the one that betrayed the Potters was one thing, but seeing him there, having been the one to bring back the Dark Lord, was something else entirely. Now she wanted nothing more than to pick up the bloody knife that was on the ground and plunge it into his side, just to make a point to herself that she wasn't like all of the people standing in this circle. Her eyes never left her extended "family" however, and when Voldemort restored Peter's hand, making it out of pure magic she couldn't help but blink in awe, that was until he turned.

Voldemort's eyes settled onto the two young girls and he smiled, an odd twist of his lips that made Syrie giggle and almost made Lyra want to run. Instead, the dark haired Slytherin smiled, her voice calm from under the mask. "…Cousin, it's good to see you," she murmured, and saw his nod of approval and the looks of shock on some of the Death Eaters' faces that were exposed.

"And it is good to see you both," he murmured and reached forward, patting them both on the head. Turning to glanceback over at his Death Eaters he smirked. "Even though these two didn't know me when they were small, they remained loyal, helping my servants organize this," he said, glaring at Malfoy a moment as his eyes scanned over the Death Eaters once again. For a moment, his gaze lingered on his followers before he remembered Potter being held to his father's grave. Turning his head with a deadly smirk, he moved past the twins to get to him, that dark grin curving his lips.

Lyra didn't dare turn her head to look at the young man. Not now. Voldemort strode past his cousin's and chuckled, the sound dark and twisted, almost more of a hiss than a laugh. "You….your mother died to save you so I couldn't touch you….but I can touch you now!" He said with glee as he reached forward and pressed one finger to Harry's forehead, causing both of them to wince as he stepped back and let Harry fall from gravestone he had been held to.

Taking in a slow breath as she watched Voldemort get Harry his wand to make him duel, the circle fell apart, moving back further to watch. The spells started to be thrown after the bow, Harry dodging most of the spells. Headstones were cracked and the light of spell work illuminated the faces of the Death Eaters in the graveyard, shining on the masks that the rest of them wore. The spells were cast back and forth, and Lyra's eyes darted between the two of them, her heart rate accelerating from a bit of fear and anxiety from even being here.

Lyra's hands were getting twitchy, about to move into the inner pocket of her cloak to pull out her wand as the duel progressed. They dueled for several long moments, and as the fighting went on, more of Harry's hair fell into his face and she could have sworn that it was James, stilling her breath as she stared at him. The urge to interfere was growing, especially as she thought it was James there…but no, he died. That simple thought made it feel like a part of her heart was breaking, the part of her heart she considered only family capable of touching. If she dove in, she'd lose her family and she'd lose her place here…was it worth it? As she saw Voldemort lifting his wand and the fear in Harry's face even as he dueled her subconscious mind made up its mind for her.

Without another thought, the dark haired Slytherin tore off her mask, letting the hood fall back as she moved between the two of them and pulled her wand. "Expelliarmus!" She shouted with a quick flick of her wrist, knocking the wand out of her cousin's hand and leaving the area in a state of shocked silence, her gaze still on her cousin as she spoke to Potter just loud enough for him to hear her. "Get out of here….take Cedric's body and the port key and leave," she said sharply.

"But what about you, De'La-" he began before he was silenced by a loud hiss from her and a shake of her head.

"Merlin spare me from chivalrous heroes. Go Potter, before I change my damned mind!" She said sharply, and listened as he dove for Cedric's body, summoned the port key, and disappeared. Her cousin was picking up his wand and the other Death Eaters were slowly moving a bit closer to her, watching her with cold eyes. As Lord Voldemort…Tom Riddle, picked up his wand, the two of them started to circle slowly, both of them staring down the other, though Tom's eyes were filled with anger in those red optics, making the younger heir to Slytherin start to tremble with her fear.

"The only reason you still stand, little Lyra, is because I have a soft spot for my purebred cousins….family and the last Slytherins are important after all," he said with a voice that was more a hiss than actual speech, like he had fallen into Parseltongue, though she wouldn't have noticed that if he had, not with how well she spoke it as well. "So now…why?" He asked sharply, his eyes only on his little cousin now, not sparing a glance for her twin or any of the Death Eaters that looked between the two of them, unsure who they should be rooting for in some of their cases, though others wanted the young Slytherin heiress to suffer for her insolence.

Before she could answer Lyra's gaze fell to Peter once, and his eyes were wide with a spark of recognition in them as he stared at the ghost from his past. With that look, she knew it would be better to fess up to a bit of it herself, or he'd do it. She'd already done the actions that would make her hunted for all of this….if she managed to get out. Looking at the gravestones and then back to her cousin, an idea formed in her head about how to get out of this mess. That port key would benefit her more than it would Syrie at this point.

"This is wrong, Tom, in so many ways. This isn't right to me anymore….and I couldn't very well let you kill the last remaining trace of Lily Evans and James Potter…..right Peter?" She asked as she continued to circle, only sparing a glance to him, just as her cousin was doing right at that moment. The look of anger that Voldemort was giving Pettigrew at that moment made it seem like the man wanted nothing more than to shrink into a rat and run away, even as Lyra kept her eyes on him for a few moments longer.

"…See you in the past, Peter dear…better hope I don't tell," she said with a bit of sadness in her voice before she flicked her wand once again quickly. "Accio Port Key!" She shouted, hearing the yell of the world no as the gem came to her and she grabbed it in her hand, being teleported back to Hogwarts behind the bleachers. Falling to the ground in relief and disorientation she almost sobbed, her wand quickly being tucked back away in her cloak, before she noticed "Mad-Eye" leading Harry away from the pitch and towards the castle….alone. That couldn't be good…and of course her cousin would have a way to insure that what he wanted would get done….even if Potter escaped him. Dumbledore had to know…and it was likely he didn't know from everything going on.

Pushing herself to her feet she stumbled into the pitch, walking to the tall form of Dumbledore, no doubt looking paler than normal. Her long hair was a mess in her face now, and she could feel many eyes from the bleachers on her as she walked on shakey legs over to the headmaster. The body of Cedric Diggory almost made her want to weep. If she had told people what was going on….if she had listened to the humanity that had been starting to grow within her from meeting her boys…her friends, maybe the boy on the ground would still be alive. She would never know though.

Swallowing her fear she tugged on the Headmaster's sleeve slightly and looked up at him with those piercing blue eyes, the optics more sad and torn now as she looked at him. It was clear he was confused by her presence there, his normal twinkling eyes a little dull after all of the dark events that had unfolded in the night.

"Ms. De'Larsha….what is it?" He asked kindly, though tiredly, it clear that the events that would follow this were already weighing heavily on his mind. She hated to make him worry more, to fatigue him further, but if she didn't, another innocent boy might die tonight, and after risking all of this to save him….she couldn't let that happen. Her family would likely get to her later, and she'd rather that her death not be in vain if that were the case of things.

Letting out a shuddering breath, her voice was just a bit louder than a whisper. "…Professor….would Mad-Eye take Harry away from all of this…after he brought a friend back dead out of that maze saying that He was back?" She asked softly, keeping her gaze on his the whole time, simply asking the question, and watching as the Headmaster's expression changed quickly from one of tiredness, to one of worry on the edge of being frantic, or furious….the young woman wasn't exactly sure, and she didn't give away anything, all she did was ask a simple question, something that a curious student might even ask. Hopefully that's all he got from it, and he wouldn't know. Right now he had more things to worry about after all.

Looking around quickly he looked to the other Professors, his voice just loud enough to carry. "Minerva…Severus, come with me. Filius….take Lyra up to my office please, and make sure that the door locks when you leave her up there so no one can get in," He said firmly, pushing Lyra slightly over towards Professor Flitwick as he went up quickly to the castle with the other two professors, making a very slight smile curve the young Slytherin's lips as she started to walk with professor Flitwick. As they started to leave, she felt eyes following her from the crowd, and she knew one person in that crowd would rush down if she could weave down to confront her about what was going on.

Walking with the short Charms Professor up to the castle, they moved as swiftly as he could, her gaze down. Looking back over her shoulder she saw Kimmy staring after her with a confused expression…which was for the best. The less that Kimmy knew the better, it would mean that she'd be safe when she disappeared under the radar of all of this. Distantly she could hear her friend calling for her, though she was held back by another of the Professors saying that important business was being taken care of. With a faint smile, Lyra silently thanked Trelawney for the first time in her life.

The young Slytherin thought she would honestly be lucky if she got to return to Hogwarts, not trusting her sister not to try something even while they were in school….the girl was a little unstable after all. There was nothing for her to go back to and nothing for her to move forward to….but she'd finally started to follow what she knew to be right.

The walk was quiet, and as she was let in with a familiar password she couldn't help the slight smile as she was led in, and when the professor left she heard the door lock. Moving to sit at a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk she looked up at Fawkes with a light smile and sighed. "…You're lucky your life isn't so complicated, Fawkes," she murmured softly, and the noise made the phoenix stir and glide over, landing on the arm of the chair to look at her more closely.

A bit more of a smile curved her lips and she reached out very lightly and stroked along the warm feathers of the bird. He was oddly soft, and his eyes oddly comforting, though she pulled her hand away and reached up around her neck, holding the locket before she pulled the chain harshly, and breaking the clasp. Looking at the elegant S on the silver she shook her head with a sigh. "…It doesn't really belong here anymore…does it?" she asked lightly as she looked at the phoenix who only let out a little cry.

A few sad tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of the note that was given with the locket and she couldn't hold back the soft sob as she leaned forward, resting her head on Dumbledore's desk. She'd saved the last remnant of her friends that lived…but in the process she lost her family…though when she thought of family she thought of the past. The younger Severus flashed in her mind with that slight smile, Lily with her happy laugh and pranking ways, James with his brotherly attitude, though his huge ego, Sirius with his teasing and playful words and the way he flirted, Remus with his intelligence and his gentle and protective nature, and even the soft and pudgy Peter who was like a younger brother to the young woman. Thinking of all of them and what they'd become now, more tears ran down her face, her hand tightening on the hard lines of the locket.

Time went by with her silently crying, Fawkes lightly playing with her hair in his beak some as she sat there. This was all she could do as she waited after all, let out all of the pain, the fear, and the longing she had for her other family. She had wanted to feel that pulling sensation all year, so she could go back and see all of their smiling faces and get into trouble with them once again. Now she'd likely be lucky to survive this summer.

Hearing the door open she sat bolt right up and looked over her shoulder, reaching for her wand before she saw the old wizard enter the room, her body slowly relaxing. A kind smile curved is lips at that, and he walked further into the room and went up the few steps to go around to his desk. Fawkes moved back to his perch near his master's desk as he approached, and Lyra sat back in the chair, wiping lightly at the tears under her eyes, a faint smile curving her lips.

Clearing his throat, Dumbledore smiled at her. "..That was very brave of you, Lyra, to come forward even knowing what your family might due because of it….may I ask the why of it?" He said lightly, not attempting to pry too far, due to the red eyes of the teenaged girl that sat in front of him.

Looking down she smiled very slightly and shook her head. "…I wasn't brave…I just let go…and finally saw what was right. What they taught me…that isn't right, not at all. I couldn't let what was left of James and Lily die, I couldn't…they were my friends, so full of life and so kind and….different," she whispered softly, her hands turning the Slytherin locket over and over in her hands now with a faint smile. "…I can't go back home now though, they'll kill me if I go back…I don't know what to do," she murmured quietly, though when she looked up, her own eyes met the twinkling eyes of the older wizard.

With a very light chuckle, he reached out and started petting the warm feathers of the phoenix beside him. "I have an idea for that Ms. De'Larsha, just go and pack your things. I have another letter for you to have with you at all times, just in case, as well as two mirrors for you. I was told by a younger Sirius and Remus to give it to you when you weren't there for their fourth year…and one from Severus with the same request. You made some very good friends. Now….go pack your things and meet me back here. I'm having Severus lingering around the Slytherin common room to make sure nothing happens….you'll be in good hands, trust me," he said kindly as he moved to stand, and she did the same smoothly.

Trying not to ask what his idea was just yet she smiled at him and nodded her head as he opened a drawer in his desk and handed her the two mirrors and gave her a kind smile. Without another hesitation the young Slytherin darted towards the door, slipping out of it and going down the stairs and out, heading towards the dungeons. Once she was safely in her room she would read the two notes that were with the packages. With how fast she was moving, it didn't take her long to get down to the dungeons and utter her password before she slipped inside and darted to her dormitory room. Her cat was outside that door, mewing, so she opened the door and slipped inside with the cat, closing the door and locking it behind her.

Leaning against the door she held the two mirrors to her chest, holding them tightly with a smile, tears in her eyes once again, but for a different reason now. Going to her jewelry box she put the Slytherin locket there and took out the locket she'd gotten from James for Christmas last year and clasps it around her neck. It belonged there, now more than ever. After what she just did…it was the Slytherin one that didn't belong around her neck.

Flicking her wand so her luggage and such would start to pack itself, she slowly unwraps the mirror from Severus, taking the note out of it with a slight smile, and read it to herself.

::Lyra, you left without a trace and left me here to deal with these idiots. How do you expect that to work out without your influence? I expect you to come back soon, and if you don't….then whenever you're in London say my name into the mirror and it should alert mine so we can talk. Oh…Lily misses you too. Be careful, and be careful where you're going…can't have you falling onto people, can we?::

The words in that note made her laugh lightly and she shook her head, and she looked at the next mirror with nervous eyes as she unwrapped it and removed the mirror, seeing Remus' elegant script scrolling across the parchment paper, tugging at her heart just a bit.

:::Lyra, I hope that you're okay and that nothing is amiss, I know you have to of left for a reason…though Sirius says how dare you kiss us and run off. I hope your Mum is better, since Dumbledore told us she was sick and that's why you had to go home…but the next time you're in London….look for us or say one of our names into the mirror, it'll contact us immediately and we'll talk, maybe meet up…Merlin knows I need another intellectual to talk to. Be safe.

Love , The Marauders

:::

A small thrill went through her then…..they didn't hate her, they missed her, just as she missed them. Getting her trunks she rolled them easily, though Filch was there with a slightly annoyed look on his face and took her things, taking them to the Headmaster. Taking in a slow breath, she followed after him with her cat, the mirrors in hand with the notes, and with her favorite locket around her neck. Inside the locket was the image of all of them together, laughing, actually getting along…that's what she was doing this for. For their smiling faces…this was her true new beginning.


	15. Temporary Home: The Noble House of Black

Dumbledore had been sending letters to the members of the Order that were still alive, rallying the only force that would believe the word of two children that Lord Voldemort was back. The letters had been sent all over, and Sirius Black had volunteered his home to be the location of the Order's headquarters. All of this had happened in the span of that night, though he dared not tell a soul that wasn't involved, not even the young Slytherin heiress that was asleep on a cot on his office floor with her cat. The girl's sleep was fitful, the young woman tossing and turning occasionally, or muttering incoherently so even he couldn't understand the girl. Whatever she had seen in that graveyard had clearly troubled her, and since soon people would be leaving the castle to go home he had found a new home for her, a possible permanent one if the residents could all get along with each other.

Sirius and Remus had been the first two people that Dumbledore had written to, and they were to send a message when the two of them arrived at the house, and to start cleaning it some. He'd received the letter that they'd gotten there soon after Lyra had re-entered his office, though he was going to give them a bit of time so a few of the rooms would be ready. He'd warned them both that someone that saved Harry's life was going to be coming to stay at the Order's house due to the threat she was under now, and they'd agreed without a hesitation.

The old wizard wondered how the two men would react to seeing this ghost from their past, and she was indeed a ghost. Her complexion was paler than it had been when this year had started, and her weight had gone down a bit as well. All the internal stress she had gone through had taken its toll on the young witch, making her age much faster than perhaps she should, a curse she had in common with the young Mr. Potter.

Glancing at the clock up on the wall he noted the time at three in the morning and then looked back to the sleeping child with a soft smile. The old wizard hated that he had to wake her, but if he was to keep the young woman safe he'd have to. The sooner she got to the headquarters of the Order and he became secret keeper for them would be all the better. This young woman could hold the key to stopping the second war before it got too serious, to help bring balance back to the Wizarding World, without any prophecy tying itself to her in the very least. All it would be is one strong act of bravery.

A tired sigh left the old wizard, and he stroked his long white beard a moment before he stood up and walked over to the sleeping young woman. Kneeling down next to her, he lightly shook her shoulder, her cat letting out a soft meow of protest as he did so.

"Ms. De'Larsha….we have to get you to the safe house I promised, you need to wake up, child," he said loud enough to stir her from her sleeping, though softly enough to not seem too harsh. The poor child had been through enough for one night after all, and he was rather certain that her nerves were shot for the moment without him adding to it.

Just as he expected, she jerked awake, her hand reaching for her wand at first before she relaxed and sat up, stretching slightly, her cat moving into her lap. Sleep was still heavy in her eyes as she tried not to yawn, her black hair a mess in her face as she rubbed at her eyes very lightly. It was clear she was trying to wake up her mind enough for her to be able to actually talk. Forcing herself to stand she stretched some, her cat jumping out of her lap and going to perch on Lyra's trunk, well, one of her trunks. She had two and then her broom, plus her actual school bag that she carried most of her things in.

"I'm up….I think," she murmured softly, earning a chuckle from Dumbledore as she pulled back her hair into a messy ponytail, still dressed in her outfit from before, though the locket stayed around her neck. If she had her way, she would never take off that locket again, no matter what time she was in. The fatigue that gripped her had her eyes dropping some, and she pulled her bag that she carried her school things in over her shoulder.

Looking up at Dumbledore with that tired half smile she let her gaze meet his, her once cold blue optics holding a bit of sorrow and hope within their depths now."…I'm ready," she murmured softly to him, her cat agreeing with her words with a loud meow from the trunk.

Dumbledore gave a nod of his head and lightly nudged her shoulder, drawing his wand and flicking it, practicing wordless magic to get the trunks to follow after them. Nightmare stayed balanced on the trunk with a light mewl, which caused both of them to laugh as they left his office and descended down the stairs, Lyra pulling her cloak a bit more tightly around herself. Pulling the cloak up, she let the shadow of it hide her face as she walked close to Dumbledore, her heart beat picking up in her chest as they moved through the silent halls and down the stairs smoothly. Their steps were swift but not too hurried, not too slow either. The silence in the halls was almost eerie, and all the young Slytherin could hear was the sound of her own footsteps.

Once they reached the Great Hall a tall and shadowy figure stood there, with oily black hair, the man turning his head to look at his young goddaughter. Without a hesitation, Lyra ran forward and collided into him, clinging to him tightly, holding back tears once again. Seeing him here everyday was part of the reason why she had managed to keep herself together for so long. The potions master stroked a hand over hair with a very slight smile, his robes still loose around him as they always were, and they smelled heavily of potions ingredients.

"You'll be fine, Lyra…..you'll be fine," he reassured softly, glad that no one but Dumbledore saw this softer side of him with his god daughter.

With a slight nod of her head, Lyra pulled away and smiled up at him, mouthing the words I love you to him before she walked away with Dumbledore out of the large doors to the grounds. They'd be heading down to the gate that would lead them to Hogsmead is what it looked like. The walking was silent, though their steps had picked up just a bit as they went on their way, trying not to focus on the things that could go wrong in all of this.

The walk went on in silence even once they reached the gate, Dumbledore opening it easily and leading the young woman and her things through. Once they were off Hogwarts grounds Dumbledore stopped and turned to look at her things. With a flick of his wand, the trunks disappeared as did the cat, reappearing in the safe house he was taking her to. Taking her hand he smiled very slightly.

"I'm taking you into a sidelong apparition to where we need to go. You'll be safe there, but you can't leave the house, there will be quite a bit to do and learn though, I promise you that," he said with that glint shining in his eyes as he looked at her, and it caused a bit of worry to roll through her.

Tightening her grip just a bit on Dumbledore's hand, she nodded her head and closed her eyes, taking in a few deep breaths, she had a feeling she'd need them. Before she had any warning, she felt the pull, the feeling that her body was being squeezed through a small tube, like she was compressed. The sensation was close to pain, but there wasn't enough air in her lungs to make a sound, whether it would have been a whimper or a shout, and before she could start to wonder if this was ever going to end, there was a popping noise and they were outside several Muggle houses, making her look up at Dumbledore with a rather curious expression.

Leaning down he whispered lightly into her ear. "Focus on number 12 Grimmauld Place, trust me," he said lightly, and that smile and twinkle in his eyes was still there.

Shaking her head with a light sigh, her free hand lifted to rub at her temples as she focused on that location, and slowly a house started to form between the numbers eleven and thirteen, making a grin curve her lips. Now she knew what she likely would want out of a house one day. If she could hide among Muggles like this home did so easily, well, then she'd likely be safe for many years to come. Without another moment's hesitation, both of them walked up the steps, and very quietly Dumbledore opened the door and held his finger to his lips.

"Why do we have to be quiet? Are the people that live here asleep?" She asked softly, though as she looked around, it didn't look like the house was inhabited for a long while, and as if cleaning had just gotten back under way. Turning around slowly she let her eyes scan over every surface there was, her fingers brushing her dark hair from her face before she heard light shuffling. As she started to face where the noise was coming from, she expected to see her cat but instead saw a very old looking house elf, an ancient looking creature that was left in that dress like attire, and as he drew closer she could hear his muttering.

"More people come into my Mistress' house, oh it would hurt Kreacher's Mistress to know such scum were back in her home, that the ungrateful son came back, with some hulking creature and a cursed wizard," he muttered in a rasp that almost sounded like his voice was about to give out.

"That's creature, he's been serving the Black family for a very long time now….and has a lot of his old Mistress' discriminations in tact," Dumbledore explained lightly as he looked at the elf, watching as the cat finally ran into the room before he glanced at his current charge who was about to fall into equally capable hands….once he made sure that they were awake.

Lyra began to nod her head before she froze and blinked a few times, her mind finally catching up to what he said. House of Black. The only member of the Black family that wasn't in Azkaban to her knowledge was Sirius…which meant….As the thoughts finally solidified in her head, her eyes widened a bit and she just stared at Dumbledore in a way that could have suggested he had grown a second head. She couldn't be here, not after what she did in their time. What if they remembered her? Or worse! What if they forgot about her completely?

Seeing the struggle emotions on her face, Dumbledore chuckled a bit more then shook his head with a smile. "Go through that door to the kitchen and sit down, I'll wake up two of your old friends," he said with a grin and started up the stairs as Lyra just stood there for several long moments.

Finally shaking away the shock, the young Slytherin heiress picked up her cat and walked into the kitchen, Kreacher mumbling things behind her about half blood and blood traitors. She was half tempted to spin around and say she was an heir of Slytherin….but blood status didn't matter anymore, hadn't she just proven that to herself? Her mind was still a mess of decisions, wondering exactly why she had felt so compelled to save Harry, she'd only known James a year! Even if her family was wrong she should have sided with them….right? No, that didn't sound right in the least. Sitting down at the table she rested her head down in her hands, letting down her dark hair so it went falling forward into her face as a soft groan of frustration started to leave her lips. The cat in her lap answered her groan with a mew, causing her to hear a chuckle from the doorway of the kitchen, not having heard the footsteps coming up to the room.

Looking between the gaps of her hair she saw dark messy hair that was a little past his shoulders and had a slight wave to it, grey eyes, and night pants, his feet bare, and his night shirt unbuttoned, showing quite a bit of his chest. His muscle tone had gone down quite a bit from his time in Azkaban, but it was still there to an extent, and he had a bit of facial hair on his face. If he was more awake she was willing to bet that a mischievous glint would have been in his grey eyes and lit up his features. From under her dark hair all that would be visible is a blue eye focused right on the male, and she didn't know if that was going to be unsettling for him or not, considering he had just woken up.

"Well….hello. Um…" he yawned lightly, his voice having gotten a bit deeper with age, as he walked into the room a bit more with a smile. "Thank you for saving my Godson, he gets himself into a lot of trouble," he said with a slight smile, trying to make it more light hearted than it actually was, holding a bit of the Sirius she had known well a year ago, though for him it wouldn't have been a year ago.

"It wasn't a problem….he reminded me of someone I used to know…I….I couldn't let him die. Did…..did Dumbledore tell you the whole story?" She asked, her voice very timid, though as she watched him from beneath her dark locks, she saw him look mildly confused at the sound of her voice, as if a bunch of bells were going off in his head.

"…Yeah, he did. You've turned around though, right? No need to worry," he said calmly as he moved to take a seat across from her at the table, trying to peer at her from under her hair. It was clear from his words though he only knew about her bloodline. His curiosity was sparked, and once it was sparked, Padfoot had to know what was going on. "You hadn't done anything bad, and you helped save Harry's life….you look very familiar miss," he said lightly, and as he continued to try and look at her, a sigh left her lips.

Taking in a deep breath, she sat up a bit straighter and brushed her dark hair out of her face smoothly. Keeping her expression as calm as possible, she started to smile just a bit, hearing footsteps coming down the stairs now as well. Two sets, so whoever else was here and Dumbledore. Part of her wasn't too worried about who else was here at the moment, not as she saw Sirius' eyes widen just a bit as he leaned forward and studied her, his gray gaze roaming over her features thoroughly, almost making her laugh. In a way….it was like he had seen a ghost.

Before she could say a word or Sirius could, the footsteps stopped at the entrance of the kitchen, and Lyra turned her head to look. Once again it was a sight that was familiar and different at once. The brown hair that she admired had grey laced through it now, he was a bit thinner and had a bit of facial hair himself, along with new scars on his face, and on his arms and chest, his hazel eyes appearing a bit more tired from life itself from sleep, and the young Slytherin felt the urge to dart over and hug him. He was dressed similarly to Sirius, and his eyes were settled on her with the same look of mild shock, while Dumbledore was wearing one of his smirks.

"Well, I'll leave the three of you to talk and work things out. I'll check in again once everything is settled at Hogwarts and once Molly can come here to help," he said calmly, patted Remus on the shoulder, and then walked towards the door, quietly going out the front door so that those in the kitchen could barely hear the door open or close, leaving them in the silence.

Remus was the one to finally speak once he cleared his throat, his voice a bit softer than Sirius', but it was no less nice to her senses. "Miss? Did your mother's name happen to be Lyra?" He asked calmly, walking into the kitchen more fully, though rather than go to sit next to his old friend and this young woman that looked like she stepped out of his past. Instead…the man started to make three cups of hot chocolate to help keep things calm, after seeing that the girl was a bit more shaken at seeing him.

"No…" she murmured softly, a bit more of her accent coming out as she fidgeted in her chair, one hand moving up to stroke along the locket that James had given her as she forced herself to continue. "…But my name's Lyra. Lyra De'Larsha…..sorry if me being here confuses you both," she murmured, though the next sound was the sound of cups clanking together as Remus looked over his shoulder to stare at her, with a look that almost said she was mental and as she looked over at Sirius, his expression was similar.

Opening the locket she showed them with an eye roll. "There's proof bit number one. James gave it to me for Christmas your third year. I got a comb from Sirius, sweets from Peter, and a lovely journal from you, Remus," she said as she looked right at him, then turned her head to look at Sirius, moving to rest one hand on her hip and raise a brow at him. "Or have you both just forgotten I existed?"

The silence that followed was heavy, and made her want to find a room to put her stuff in and hide. It was strange seeing them both, and as they stared she could have sworn that a bit of her withdrew back into herself a bit more. Sirius looked like his eyes were about to bug out of his head, and she could only imagine what he was thinking. She was a challenge from his past, and she hadn't aged. She had only gotten a tad bit older, started to develop more curves than she had in third year….but that was beside the point.

Hearing the sound of a throat being cleared, she glanced back over to Remus and he smiled slightly, that confusion back in his eyes some. "…First things first then, Lyra….do you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate?" He asked, clearly trying to lighten the mood around them, and it worked.

A soft laugh bubbled past her lips, and she nodded her head as she rolled her shoulders, relaxing more into her seat as she closed the locket. Her hand stayed wrapped around it however, and she let her eyes finally wander back to Sirius. In her eyes he looked so ragged, compared to the playful boy she had known only last year. All of this was disorienting for her, and she could imagine it was just as disorienting for the both of them.

Sirius stretched just a little and gave a nod of his head, tapping his fingers along on the table now as he looked at her. "Alright…..so if this is real and I'm not dreaming…how in the name of Merlin did this happen? Who's time do you really belong in? Did you get our message from Dumbledore in any way at all?" He asked, only to get a look from Remus and a slight eye roll from him as well.

"We get told a friend we made back in the seventies is sitting right in front of us, and you worry about the note you sent with the mirror, Pads?" He asked, amusement starting to color his tone.

Holding back her giggles, Lyra shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure how it happens. I got thrown back in time last year….and Dumbledore in both times thought it would be a good idea for me to keep it a secret….and to try and have a normal school year, but my school year couldn't exactly be normal with the Marauders…..now could it?" She asked with a grin, earning answering grins from both of them at that point, both men more alert now than they had been when they first walked in.

"I really belong in this time….I was born a year before Harry, in October with my sister…we are two heirs of Slytherin….but even before I met all of you I was starting to doubt my place. and…yes, I got your message, Padfoot. I'm sorry that me snogging you and running made you a little insulted," she said with a faint smirk and then stuck her tongue out at him as she started to pet her cat that still resided in her lap, staying there for now, though every time Remus drew near the small feline tensed.

"Oi, that was a completely legitimate reaction to being snogged and watching as that girl runs off," he said firmly with a nod of his head, his hand smoothing through his hair to push it back from his face.

Placing a mug in front of Sirius and Lyra, Remus took a seat at the head of the table rather than sit next to either of them. He had a faint smile curving his lips as he started to sip at his hot chocolate, looking between the two of them. In a way…he could imagine what a conversation like this might have been like back in the seventies when they were in school. It would actually have gone a little bit like this as well.

Lifting her mug, Lyra took a long sip of it before she leaned back into her chair and shrugged her shoulders with a sigh."Well, forgive me for trying to save what bit of sanity you had left at the time," she said with a faint smirk, hearing the sound of a choked off laugh as she looked over at Remus, then looked back to Sirius who was just looking at her with a bit of shock. It had probably been awhile since someone talked to either of them like they were teenagers again, but she couldn't help it, to her they were still the guys she saw last year…just a lot more ragged around the edges.

Silence fell around them after that, and the three of them sat in an almost companionable silence as they sipped at their hot chocolate. Lyra was done with hers first, licking her lips afterwards, glad for the warmth and the sweetness of chocolate, hoping that it would help her sleep. The mere thought of sleep caused a yawn to leave her lips, and Remus smiled just a bit at that and shook his head.

"I think you need to go get some rest, Lyra. Which room do you want her in, Pads?" he asked as he started to collect the mugs and put them in the sink, using a spell that started to wash them on their own. Magic certainly had its pluses, and to think that Muggles had to do all these sorts of things on their own.

"Um….the guest room on the hall where mine and my brother's rooms are, same hall that you and me are staying on," he said with a yawn as he stood up and went back to the main room for her things.

Lyra smiled just a bit more at that and stood up, her cat leaping from her lap to follow after Sirius with a loud meow. Her eyes were starting to get heavy and she could hear Sirius already going up the stairs with her things, right as Remus came over to her side, almost towering over her now that he was so much older than she was. Gently taking her arm he led her towards the stairs and started up after Sirius, humming an old jazz tune under his breath.

Listening to Remus in silence, she leaned against him and yawned softly again. She was exhausted now, and she needed the rest. Bidding the two of them goodnight she slipped into the room that was hers and closed the door behind her. It didn't take her long to strip out of what she had been wearing for school and for that vile ceremony and into a nightgown, her hair finally being let down, and her kitten crawling out from beneath the bed. A smile curved her lips and she slipped under the sheets, glad they were clean smelling and settled down with her cat.

Before her eyes fell closed, the young woman thought she saw someone. The someone reminded her of the ghosts from Hogwarts, mainly because she seemed a little crazy like some of the other ghosts and her hair was a little wild. If she had to guess, she'd say the hair had been reddish in color, and it was wavy and kind of crazy, there was a curious look on the woman's expression and it looked like she was in a blazer and skirts, very formal, though the glass on one side of her glasses was cracked and splintered. Too tired to keep her eyes open, and feeling like she was in no danger at all, the young Slytherin heiress closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep, and within a moment, her cat was purring at her side and she was deep in a mercifully dreamless sleep.

The ghost herself, meanwhile was very active for the time being, and was going to go and bug the cousin that had been ignoring her. As she looked the young Slytherin girl over though, she thought she looked rather familiar. Not focusing on it too much, she came up through the floor more completely and drifted through a wall, her feet never touching the floor. Zinnia Black had died the year that James and Lily had, after going after the true perpetrator of the betrayal, though she hadn't had the chance to tell anyone who it had been before her two cousins, Narcissa and Bellatrix, had taken her done. Now, she was stuck haunting the house that was her safe haven from her prison and her bane due to her aunt's existence.

Coming through the wall of Sirius' room, she paused, her gaze slowly settling on his dresser were several portraits and photographs sat. In three of the photographs was a black haired Slytherin. One of the pictures had them all sitting on the fence near the Shrieking Shack their third year, with Lyra leaning over and messing with Remus' hair and stealing something out of Sirius' hands while laughing, Peter just laughing to the side and James played with the snitch as always. One other picture included Lily in it, and it was with all of them down at the lake, and then another with James and Lyra in Quidditch attire playfully glaring at each other as they got ready for a match, and what appeared to be Remus and Sirius placing bets on which team would win. Very un fitting it would seem.

The ghost woman looked over at the man that was starting to fall asleep in his bed and moved closer so her face was just a few inches in front of his, waiting until he took in a deep breath, then speaking quite loudly. "Sirius Black! Stop ignoring me and being lazy! Talk to me! I have questions. There's a Slytherin in the other room and I want to know if she's who I think she is!" She exclaimed with a bit of excitement in her voice.

One eye slowly opened in Sirius Black's face, and he frowned, almost glaring at his ghost cousin. "…Zee….I love you…..but I need sleep. You might not anymore…..but I do….I'll talk to you tomorrow," he grumbled lightly, his eye starting to fall closed again before a high pitched almost shriek came from the ghost and he sat bolt right up.

"Fine! Fine, I'm awake you stubborn woman," he grumbled as he rubbed at his temples and let one hand smooth through his dark hair. "…Girl in the other room…..That's Lyra," he muttered under his breath before a yawn stretched his mouth.

"Lyra…..like, Lyra you told me about after third year that kissed you, Lyra? Shouldn't she be, I don't know, your aged?" She asked, her arms crossing over her chest after she adjusted her broken glasses on her nose. Sadly there was no way for her to fix the spectral spectacles.

Glancing at her, he nodded his head with another yawn. "Yeah, Zee, the girl I told you kissed me in third year. She's apparently some type of time traveler from some unstable magic and belongs to this time…..wish she'd go back to the time I was younger though," he mumbled before he fell back onto his bed and rolled over onto his stomach before the spectral woman could say anything else.

"…That's so…..fascinating. Can't wake her up now….need to introduce myself first, then I can start doing stuff like that….right, Sirius?" she asked, leaning down to be level with the side of his face that was showing, but his breathing was already becoming even, causing her to let out a rather loud huff and shake her head. "Fine…..I'll just lurk in yours and Remus' rooms for the rest of the night and see if the two of you talk in your sleep," she mutter with a bit of agitation, going between the two old Marauders rooms for the rest of the night, rather amused with certain things that she had begun to hear in the night.

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The next morning, Lyra came downstairs in a long skirt and a short sleeved shirt, her locket still around her neck and her long dark hair tied back messily from her face. If she hadn't smelled food cooking she likely would have stayed upstairs where she'd been since last night. Currently, she slipped into a chair and stretched her arms some with a yawn, the smell of cooking bacon making her eyes stray to the man that was cooking, oddly grateful that Remus was fully clothed now. If he had been cooking bacon shirtless she may have been mildly distracted, forget the fact he was older, the scars that were no doubt there would have worried her. Before another thought could form, she heard the footsteps of her other old friend coming down the stairs and couldn't help but smile a bit more. This felt…..oddly right.

Sitting back in her chair she looked over to the doorway as Sirius walked in, and nearly laughed. His hair was still a mess and his shirt was half open, his face full of the tiredness he seemed to still feel as he walked over and almost fell into the seat across from her. His head was turned towards the smell of the bacon, however, and it didn't seem he acknowledged her presence or even Remus' at this point.

Stiffling her laughter she just shook her head as Remus came over to the table and started setting out the plates of bacon, eggs, pancakes and other such things that they were going to have. All the while, Sirius was watching the food as if he thought it was going to disappear, causing both of the others to roll their eyes. It was such a Sirius thing, and it seemed like there were just some habits that transcended time, like him having a black hole for a stomach. Empty plates were put in all the places, as well as glasses of orange juice and silverware. As soon as everything was placed down on the table, Sirius dove into it, piling up the food on his plate.

"Still a pig, I see," Lyra said as she started to calmly load up her plate rather than scramble for it like she had at school with them, trying not to show exactly how hungry she was.

"He always is," Remus muttered as he took a sit as well, looking between the two of them with a grin and a shake of his head. Soon this house would be filled with people, and he'd likely have to go and do something for the Order as it started to grow. He was enjoying this peaceful moment while it lasted.

Right as that thought passed his mind, Lyra was reaching to grab more bacon as a spectral head came out of the plate, her wild hair slightly colored now due to the bacon she was phasing through. A soft shriek came from Lyra and she dropped the bacon she had in her hand, and a laugh came from the ghost woman that was looking at her.

Lifting out of the table she floated a little bit above it in a sitting position, one leg crossed carefully over the other. "Sorry, that was too good to pass up, though I would have preferred to get Sirius…..though he's too busy stuffing his face," she muttered as she glanced over at him, a piece of bacon hanging out of his mouth, though he was playfully glaring at his cousin. Looking back to Lyra, Zinnia smiled. "So…..you're Lyra. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Zinnia Black, mad genius, and Sirius' cousin," she explained, holding back the urge to hold out her hand, knowing it would just phase through the other girl's.

Looking rather startled, the young Slytherin smiled some and nodded her head. "Yes…..I'm Lyra…..it's a pleasure to meet you…I've never heard about you though," she murmured, glancing over at Sirius with a slightly raised brow.

Zinnia did not look very amused at that statement, and she glanced over at Sirius, and a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "Oh, really?" she murmured before she looked back to Lyra and smiled, it was a sweet smile though that look in her eyes told that things were about to get interesting. "Well…..Sirius talks about you all the time…..out loud….under his breath…..in his sleep. I do believe last night he said "Lyra…..my Lyra.," she mimicked, and let out a cackling laugh that sounded more like meowing as both Remus and Sirius choked on their juice and Lyra turned a bright shade of red.

"….I….I don't talk in my sleep," Sirius attempted as he looked at Zinnia with a look that most clearly stated that if she wasn't already dead, he'd have done it himself. Meanwhile Remus had a grin curving his lips as he sipped at his juice, though that smirk started to disappear as Zinnia gave her attention to him.

"Oh, don't you start Remus, you talk in your sleep too. Not as much, but you do," she said smugly, and let out another laugh as she saw him start to blush and the color of Lyra's cheeks brighten even further. It had to be hard on the girl being in this time, but Zinnia had ideas forming in her head, ideas that she hoped younger her would pick up on if Lyra went back in time again and met her, mainly because they'd be interesting if they actually happened. Then again….young her would likely freak out if the ideas she had in mind actually occurred.

Clearing her throat, Lyra sat up a bit straighter and sipped at her juice, attempting to ignore the implications of these knew tid bits of information. Taking a very long sip of her juice she smiled just a bit. "Well then…um….good to know….so, after breakfast….we start cleaning?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

Another laugh left Zinnia and she moved to "sit" in the chair next to Lyra with a grin. "Oh….you're very controlled…..we'll have fun," she said, honestly meaning it. Maybe she'd be able to help her do her potions again. Though the only thoughts going through Lyra's head at the moment was that this was her home for now, a temporary one…..and it was awkward….but she felt oddly safe here.


End file.
